A Day in Warfang
by The Rogue Lion
Summary: After the war, Spyro and Cynder found themselves at a loss for what to do next. They had been fighting for so long that they hadn't considered what their lives would be like when it was finally over. Now, weeks after Malefor's defeat, the two heroes settle within Warfang and explore what it means to live an everyday life.
1. Chapter 1 - The First Night

**The First Night**

Spyro sat there in relative silence. The sound of his chewing and the conversations of nearby patrons filled most of the noise. He swallowed the piece of lamb in his mouth and leaned down to his plate to take another bite. As he ripped the lightly cooked flesh, he glanced up to the dragoness across from him.

Like him, Cynder was also chewing on a piece of lamb. When they had arrived at the restaurant, neither had any idea of what to order. They hadn't been here before or any restaurant for that matter. This was actually one of the few that had opened up in the weeks after the end of the war.

Most moles, as well as the occasional dragon and cheetah, had been putting their efforts towards rebuilding Warfang. Some worked faster than others and soon new businesses cropped up within the recovering city. Those that were able to take advantage of the lack of competition thrived, much like the restaurant the two dragons were currently in.

Spyro looked around him, seeing dozens of very satisfied customers. A group of moles at one table were laughing and having a good time. A pair of reserved cheetahs at another were simply enjoying each other's company and eating in silence. Just like he and Cynder.

The purple dragon looked back at his companion for the night. A pit was forming in his stomach. The dinner wasn't going as smoothly as he would have liked. Not much conversation had been made between the two and it was making for a rather dull night.

"H-how's your lamb?" Spyro asked, trying to break the silence.

"It's good…" Cynder said. "And yours?"

"It's fine."

But not the same could be said for their "date" as Sparx had put it. Spyro wasn't even sure if Cynder was enjoying herself. Was he doing something wrong? There was a good chance he was considering how he hadn't actually put all that much thought into the date.

Spyro thought back to how this all started in the first place. He had been in his room, thinking about that day's events. He, alongside Cynder, had been helping the moles restore Warfang to its former glory by hauling stone and lifting wooden beams. It was tiring, but rewarding work. He enjoyed seeing the comradery amongst the moles and enjoyed spending time with Cynder even more.

He had come to deeply care about the black dragoness through the time they spent together. He found that his thoughts always came back to her some way or another. A smile had formed upon the purple dragon's lips as he pictured her laughing in his mind. What she was laughing at, he had no idea. The sound of her laughter was simply melodic and was enough to distract him from whatever task the moles had him doing. At that moment, Sparx had decided to interrupt.

"What are you smiling about, purple butt?" he had asked snarkily.

Spyro had leapt up from the cushion he had been lying on, caught off guard by the dragonfly's presence. "Sparx! I-it's nothing!"

"This wouldn't have anything to do with our resident Terror, would it?" Spyro's reply had simply been a blush. Sparx had sighed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"W-what are you talking about, Sparx?"

"Just take her out on a date or something if you really like her that much, jeez!"

And that had been the end of it…after some sputtering on Spyro's part. According to the dragonfly, the two dragons were 'so obvious about each other' and that they should just go out to dinner or something. At that moment, Spyro had a new sense of respect for his adoptive brother. His brother, who had been so opposed against Cynder in the first place, was willing to put aside his personal feelings to see the purple dragon happy.

"So what's on your mind?"

The young dragon broke free from his thoughts and looked at the dragoness across from him. "I was thinking about Sparx," he replied.

Cynder snorted in response, oblivious to the dragonfly's selfless decision. "Are you thinking about how the little gnat keeps saying that he's helping to rebuild the city while _we're_ the ones doing most of the work?" she said half-jokingly.

Spyro chuckled softly at his companion's nickname for Sparx. "He helps every now and then," he said, coming to his brother's defense. "He's not all that bad, Cynder, really."

"I'll believe that when he finally learns how to shut his trap," she teased.

"Well, he was the one who talked me into asking you to join me for dinner tonight."

Cynder's tone and expression softened immediately upon hearing that. "I guess he really isn't all that bad," she said. She shot him a look. "Don't tell him I said that."

This elicited some laughter from Spyro. "Don't worry; I won't tell him that you secretly care about him."

"Good."

A bit of relief washed over Spyro. He and Cynder had been able to have some sort of a conversation. It indicated to him that Cynder was enjoying herself to some degree, but the pit in his stomach hadn't gone away. Spyro leaned down to his own plate and opened his maw, but the lamb didn't seem quite as appetizing as before. A frown replaced his earlier smile.

Noticing this, Cynder stopped eating and asked, "Is something the matter, Spyro?"

He opened his mouth to say 'no', but he didn't want to lie to her. "Are you enjoying this?" he asked instead.

A bit of confusion graced Cynder's features. "Of course I am. Aren't you?"

Spyro stared down at the table, sifting through his thoughts and emotions.

"Spyro?"

The purple dragon blinked rapidly, trying to bring his thoughts together. "Sorry," he muttered. "I really am having fun tonight, but it's just that…"

Cynder reached out a paw towards him. "It's just what?"

Spyro's gaze raised to meet his companion's. The two stared into each other's eyes for just a moment before the teenaged dragon said, "Cynder, what are we to each other?"

Cynder was caught off-guard by the question. "W-we're friends, aren't we?"

He nodded. "Yes, we are, but…" Spyro licked his lips apprehensively. "Is there anything else between us—anything more?" _Do you want to be more?_ was the unsaid question.

Cynder's mouth parted to respond and Spyro noticed how hard his heart was thumping inside his chest. "Did you hear what I said back at the center of the world?" she asked.

Her words from then flooded back to the drake. It was all too easy to remember those three words. "Do you still mean it?"

"Yes," she breathed. A well of hope sprung within Cynder's emerald eyes. "Do you feel the same way?"

"Yes."

A flurry of emotions surged from within Spyro and, in that moment, all of his attention was focused on the dragoness in front of him. He absentmindedly pushed his plate to the side and rose from his seat. He set two paws on the table in front of him and leaned forward. He tilted his head and Cynder did the same. Their muzzles grew increasingly closer to each other and time seemed to slow down for the two young dragons.

Suddenly, time sped forward and Spyro paw slipped. A large 'thump' echoed throughout the restaurant, causing other nearby patrons to stop what they were doing and look over. Spyro's chin rested on top of Cynder's half-finished lamb. He looked up at the dragoness to see a dumbfounded look.

A wide grin formed upon Spyro's face and he let out a light-hearted laugh. It was contagious and caused Cynder to join in. Their laughter rang through the air, bringing forth smiles from the nearby dragons, moles, and cheetahs.

Spyro picked himself off Cynder's plate, sauces from the lamb dripping from his face. He reached for a napkin only for Cynder to stop him. "Here," she said, "let me."

Spyro shot the dragoness a quizzical look, wondering what she had in mind. He felt her warm breath against his cheek and, to his surprise, her tongue running along his jaw. The purple dragon let out a hum of approval as Cynder cleaned the juices from his scales. Once finished, Cynder pulled away from him and smiled. A tinge of red could just barely be seen on her cheeks.

The drake glanced to the side and noticed several others staring at him and Cynder. His own cheeks flushed as he remembered that they were still in public and that their actions were in the full view of everyone in the restaurant. He cleared his throat to get Cynder's attention and said quietly, "C'mon. Let's get out of here."

The two dragons quickly finished their meal and paid the owner. Soon, they walked side by side down one of the many streets of Warfang underneath a darkening sky. Nothing was said between them as each other's company was all they needed.

Within minutes, Spyro and Cynder reached their place of current residence—the newly rebuilt temple of Warfang. As the pair walked through the halls of the temple, Spyro's flank brushed against Cynder's for just an instant. He pulled away, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Sorry," he said in a near whisper.

Cynder smiled at him. "Don't be."

The purple drake felt her tail wrap around his and her side being pressed up against him. Elation filled Spyro and he tightened his own tail around hers. The two dragons stopped in front of a wooden door soon after, a bit too soon for Spyro's liking. He reluctantly split from Cynder and gestured to the door. "Here's your room."

"Thanks for tonight, Spyro. I really enjoyed it," she said.

"I'm glad," he replied. "Maybe we could do this again some time?"

"I'd like that."

Cynder entered the room, but paused mid-stride. Without warning, she quickly spun around and Spyro felt her lips against his. After the initial shock, he kissed her back deeply. Spyro lost track of how long they were like that; all he knew was the joy that spread throughout his body. A lopsided grin was plastered on Spyro's muzzle when Cynder had pulled away.

Cynder giggled at his silly expression. The dragoness stepped into her room and was about to close the door behind her when she added, "And thank Sparx for me too. Goodnight."

"G'night…" he replied, in a daze. He turned and continued walking down the hall, his mind not quite fully there. Spyro entered his own room and shut the door behind him rather loudly. He didn't even register the equally loud protest coming from across the room as he plopped down onto one of the cushions that served as a bed.

"Hey! Are you listening? I said that—yeesh what happened to you?"

Spyro looked up to see Sparx hovering a couple feet above him wearing a slight grimace on his face. "Huh? Sorry, Sparx. I wasn't really paying attention."

The dragonfly folded his arms and made a face at his brother. "Yeah, I can tell," he said irritably. He narrowed his eyes at the dragon. "Does this have something to do with you-know-who?"

Spyro broke from his previous trance and shot Sparx and annoyed look. "Her name is Cynder, Sparx," he said in a chastising tone. Then his voice softened. "And yeah…"

Sparx held out both his hands, palms out. "You know what? I'm just gonna stop you right there. I do _not_ need to know what happened tonight. If you need me, I'm going back to sleep."

Spyro shook his head at his brother's antics. "She told me to thank you, Sparx. She really appreciated you getting me to ask her out." The dragonfly mumbled something incoherently. With a sigh, Spyro said, "Night, Sparx."

The purple dragon stared at the ceiling, his thoughts lingering on a certain dragoness. Several different ideas were bouncing around in his head for another date night. He'd have to use them soon.

* * *

 **Once again, I am here to inform you that I am not dead by publishing yet another new story. Unlike the others I've uploaded, this one will not follow an overarching plot. I intend for this story to house a series of loosely connected oneshots as opposed to a continuous story. Trying to write a lengthy story following a set plot is just not for me. If you've read through some of the other stories I've tried to write, you have an idea of how it usually turns out.**

 **I do not know when the next time I will update this story, but at least with this style, I don't leave as much hanging. Each chapter that gets added to this story should be able to stand on its own. I have various ideas planned for future chapters, including an ending. I may decide to upload the ending before I work on some of the other ideas I have for this. In that case, future updates will just be wedged in between this chapter and the ending.**


	2. Chapter 2 - A Day at the Park

**A Day at the Park**

"C'mon, Cyn. It'll be fun!"

Cynder eyed the purple dragon in front of her warily. "I don't know…" she said hesitantly. "I've never heard of a 'park' before." Spyro shot her a hurt look, immediately melting away some of her uncertainty. She hated it when he did that. "Fine," she said, relenting.

Spyro's attitude brightened. "Great! I know you'll enjoy it!"

"We'll see…" she replied skeptically. "What is there to do at this park anyways?"

The purple drake looked down at his paws thoughtfully, trying to remember what he had found out. "Well the moles included a large grass field kind of like the ones in Avalar. And there are some wide platforms that sit right under the sun. They also added a few big trees that will provide shade if we want to get away from the heat. A lot of other people are going to be there too."

"That does sound nice," Cynder admitted. She could already imagine resting underneath one of those trees with her purple dragon.

"Oh! And they added a bunch of huge slides for hatchlings too!"

Color drained from the black dragoness's face and a frown adorned her muzzle. Hatchlings? There was no way she was going to deal with hatchlings. "On second thought, Spyro, I don't think it's a good idea."

"But you just said it sounded nice!" Spyro argued.

Cynder sighed. "I did, and it _does_ sound nice, but…" She paused. Could she tell him how she wanted absolutely nothing to do with hatchlings? How would he react? Cynder bit her lip. "Spyro, I don't really—"

"Please?" he begged. "For me?"

She wanted to say 'no', but those handsome lilac eyes of his made her reconsider. She could see the longing in his eyes and how badly he wanted to go. For the second time in that day, she gave in. "Alright. I'll go," she said reluctantly.

Cynder had hardly a moment to see his expression before she felt his muzzle pressed against his. Despite feeling a bit coerced into going to this 'park', Cynder smiled and leaned into the kiss. "You're lucky I like you," she muttered against his lips.

Spyro pulled away and grinned at her. "Very, very lucky." He spread a wing towards her, gesturing for Cynder to be by his side. She didn't oppose this request and happily pressed against his warm scales. They shared a brief nuzzle and their tails intertwined. Together, they made their way to the park.

* * *

"I don't understand…" Spyro said in a defeated tone.

Cynder glanced from the park to her purple companion. His shoulders were slumped and the disappointment on his face was obvious. "Spyro, I'm sure there's a very clear explanation for this."

"But Garrish said the moles have been working on the park for months!"

Cynder resisted the urge to bring a paw up to her face. "Garrish? Spyro, you know that he loves to tell stories!"

The purple dragon sighed dejectedly. "I know…" Spyro stared down at his paws, not wanting to look at the park.

It was nowhere close to what Spyro had described. Instead of a large grass field, it was much smaller. In place of wide platforms, there were patches of stone among the grass. A single, lone tree stood tall in the center of the park. It still provided a fair amount of shade, but it was not what Cynder had imagined. There wasn't even a single slide in sight either.

Some dragons, adults and hatchlings alike, were spread throughout the park. A few moles and even a couple cheetahs were there as well. There weren't nearly as many people as Spyro had said there would be.

A sense of pity filled Cynder. The drake was likely beating himself up for falling for one of the fibbing mole's stories and even more so for dragging the black dragoness along with him. She leaned towards Spyro and attempted to comfort him with a nuzzle. "I'm sorry it wasn't how you expected, Spyro," she said. "But that doesn't mean that we can't still have fun here."

Spyro returned her nuzzle affectionately. "Thanks, Cyn."

Now seeing a smile on Spyro's face, Cynder felt more at ease. "So what did you want to do?" she asked.

Spyro rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well I was hoping to try out one of those slides Garrish mentioned, but…"

A look of disbelief made its way onto Cynder's face. "I thought you said those were supposed to be for hatchlings!"

"That doesn't mean we couldn't have tried them…" he replied quietly.

The black dragoness shook her head at Spyro's childishness. "You're just an overgrown hatchling, aren't you?"

"You got me!" Spyro admitted playfully. He smirked at Cynder. "But you know you love me."

"Oh, hush."

"C'mon," he said, gesturing with his wing. "Let's sit down while we think of something else we can do."

The two quickly found a patch of grass underneath the sun and laid down. Cynder pressed up against Spyro. This close up, she could easily take in his scent—it was an earthy musk mixed with a touch of something else she couldn't quite put her paw on. Cynder brought her nose closer to the purple dragon to discern the mysterious scent. She was too focused on the task, however, and failed to notice Spyro's muzzle moving towards hers.

Cynder flinched as she felt the warmth of Spyro's muzzle against hers. She looked up to see concern painting his features. "Is something wrong, Cyn?"

She shook her head. "No, you just caught me by surprise."

He raised an eye ridge then smirked. "Well, I'm not surprising you now…" he said as he leaned in towards her.

Cynder began to reciprocate the action when a shout interrupted them. "Look! Look! It's the purple savior!"

Spyro and Cynder's heads turned to face the source of the noise. A group of several hatchlings—each sporting different colored scales and one even having light gray scales—were pointing and shouting at the duo. Although, Cynder had a feeling that they were more focused on her purple counterpart than on herself. Part of her was thankful that they weren't paying her too much attention. Another _very_ small part of her was a tad jealous. She had been the one by his side through thick and thin after all.

Nonetheless, Cynder suppressed a grimace as the hoard of younglings approached them. Both she and Spyro stood to greet them. The children clambered around the dragoness's companion, forcing her to step back. A cacophony of voices rung through the air.

"My dad said you're the most strongest dragon _ever_!"

"Did you really beat Malefor with three paws?"

"No!" another contested. "He defeated Malefor with just _two_ paws!"

Spyro tried to form a sentence, still quite overwhelmed. "Uh, I actually used all of my paws and my wings and tail too," he said awkwardly. The crowd of hatchlings immediately shut their mouths and listened attentively to what their hero had to say. Feeling a little more pressure and embarrassment, he continued. "And I had to use each of my elements to beat him too. He was really tough."

"Whoaaaaa…" they all echoed.

"Oh! Oh!" another cried, trying to gain Spyro's attention. "What about when you pulled the world back together? My dad said you did that too!"

Spyro looked at each of their faces, all of them eagerly awaiting a response. He quickly glanced back towards Cynder, his eyes clearly begging for help. Much to his chagrin, Cynder shook her head and mouthed, _You're on your own._

"I, uh, did pull the world back together," Spyro started again. "And it took a lot of energy too. At the time, I wasn't even sure if I had the energy to do it. But I knew what I had to do."

The black dragoness sat down on her haunches, listening to Spyro's recollection of their tale. Some memories—both pleasant and uncomfortable ones alike—flooded back to her. Small smiles transformed to small frowns and then back. As his story progressed, Cynder noticed that he hadn't really mentioned her at all. A bit of resentment began to well up within the dragoness.

As if sensing Cynder's displeasure, he directed his voice towards her. "And I couldn't have done any of it, including defeating Malefor, without Cynder."

Spyro beamed at dragoness and her previous feelings of negativity were washed away. All the hatchlings turned their heads in her direction. Cynder smiled back a bit hesitantly, feeling slightly embarrassed. A majority of the younglings only spared her a glance and quickly turned back to their savior.

Cynder sighed. _It's not like I should have expected any different._

Spyro frowned, noticing the group's lack of appreciation of the dragoness. He started walking away from the small crowd and back over to Cynder. "Now I think that's enough for now. We'll just let you all go back to play—"

"Can you help us with our elements?" one of them interrupted. A chorus of agreements rang amongst them. They all rushed back around his legs, all of them begging for the purple dragon to help them.

He was about to decline, when Cynder's voice rose above the children's. "Don't worry about me, Spyro. Go help them. I'll be over here," she said, pointing to a spot not too far away.

"But—" He didn't get to continue as Cynder had already started to walk away. Spyro's gaze lingered on the dragoness until a young fire dragon started tugging on one of his paws. He let a small sigh and asked all of them, "Alright, who's first?"

Cynder laid down on a patch of grass and watched Spyro instruct each of the little ones in their elements. Despite feeling a bit robbed of her companion, the dragoness couldn't help but be amused by the sight of the purple dragon being overrun by dragons a fourth of his size. From a distance, Cynder could also make out a smile on his face. She was glad. It was better for at least one of them to be enjoying their day at the park.

Distracted by the impromptu teaching lesson, Cynder failed to notice a pink dragoness walking up behind her.

"Excuse me, Miss Cynder, is this spot taken?"

Cynder sprung up from the ground and took up a defensive stance. Upon seeing a startled dragoness, Cynder forced herself to relax. "Sorry," she said. "You caught me off-guard."

The new dragoness laughed lightly. "If anyone's sorry, it should be me! I shouldn't have snuck up on you." She dipped her head. "My name is Ember."

Cynder dipped her head in response. "It's nice to meet you Ember. Feel free to sit. And just call me Cynder."

The pink dragoness thanked her and sat down a couple feet away. Cynder eyed this new dragoness from the corner of her eye and studied her discretely. She seemed to be around her age and was likely a fire dragoness judging from the color of her scales. Her tail spade was in the shape of a heart and a small, also heart-shaped locket hung around Ember's neck.

"That's a nice locket," Cynder said.

Ember smiled. "Thank you," she replied. "My father made it for me when I was young."

"He must be a very skilled dragon," Cynder said, impressed by the craftsmanship.

"Was," Ember corrected. Her voice took on a somber tone. "He died during the war."

A sinking feeling began to form in Cynder's gut. She licked her lips apprehensively. "How…how did he die?"

Some part of Cynder regretted asking. Some part of her didn't want to know—that she was probably the cause for the death of this dragoness's father.

As if reading Cynder's thoughts, Ember shook her head. "No, no! You weren't the reason why he died at all!" The pink dragoness's stared at the ground sadly, remembering her father. "There was a sickness in our village. Many of us caught it, and almost all of us recovered just fine, but…"

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," Ember said. "But thank you."

The two dragonesses spent the next several minutes sitting there in silence. Cynder looked back towards Spyro, now feeling slightly guilty for having brought up painful memories for Ember. She watched each of the young hatchlings breathe small bursts of fire, ice, earth, and electricity. A thought passed through Cynder's mind. What was Ember doing here anyways?

"If you don't mind me asking, Ember," Cynder started again, "what are you doing here?"

Ember turned her head back to the black dragoness. "I'm here to watch over my younger cousin and his friend." The pink dragoness chuckled to herself. "They practically begged me to take them to the park since his mom was busy."

"Oh? Which ones are they?"

Ember pointed to a pair of young fire dragons playing in the grass. She turned back to Cynder. "You're here with Spyro, right?"

Cynder blinked. "How did you—"

"The park is a great place for couples to hang out, you know. But I'm sure you and your purple dragon already knew that," Ember said, her eyes twinkling. She smirked. "You don't even have to say anything; your face is telling me everything."

Heat flooded Cynder's face. "We came here because Spyro wanted to check out the slides," she managed to say levelly.

Ember quirked her brow. "But there aren't any slides here," she said in a confused tone.

"No, there aren't," Cynder said. "But this mole named Garrish told Spyro all about them."

The pink dragoness tried to suppress her laughter, but ended up sputtering instead. "Everyone knows that mole is the biggest liar in all of Warfang!"

Cynder shook her head and sighed. "I thought Spyro knew, but I think he got a little too excited about the slides."

"He's just like an overgrown hatchling!" Ember tried masking her grin with her paws. "I'm sorry! I don't mean to make fun of him!"

Cynder giggled. "Don't worry about it. That's exactly what I told him."

The two dragonesses continued to chat idly about Spyro, leading Ember to share a few stories about her own relationship with another fire dragon named Flame. Cynder couldn't help the look of astonishment on her face. The antics between this Flame and Ember seemed almost unreal, but the way the pink dragoness was describing these events made them seem believable.

"And he looked like the most adorable thing I've ever seen with the way he was covered up in all those fabrics!" Ember said in between fits of laughter.

Cynder covered her smirking mouth with a paw as to stop herself from bursting into laughter. After taking a few moments to calm down, she said, "You and Flame seem to have a great relationship."

A pleasant smile made its way onto Ember's lips. "We do. And when he isn't messing around, he's really sweet. Our relationship is a lot like yours and Spyro's from what you've told me."

"It is," she replied happily. The black dragoness turned her head back to where Spyro had been instructing the hatchlings. Her positive mood soured a bit, now reminded that she hadn't been able to spend as much time with her purple dragon as much as she would have liked.

"Hey," Ember called out, getting Cynder's attention. "It's not all bad not being able to spend time with him right now, you know."

"And how is that?" Cynder asked curiously.

"Because now you know that he'd make a great father."

Cynder's cheeks flushed red. "I…I always thought he'd make a good father," she said quietly.

"And I think you'd make a great mother too."

The embarrassment Cynder had felt earlier faded away and she snorted at the fire dragoness's comment. "I don't think so."

"Well, why not?"

"I don't really like hatchlings," Cynder admitted. "What makes you think that I'd be a good mother when I don't like them in the first place?"

"You never know," Ember said, shrugging. "Motherhood changes a lot of people. Or so I've heard."

Cynder and Ember didn't say anything more after that. They both resigned to the silence and to their own thoughts. Cynder tossed Ember's words around her head. She was _not_ fit to take care of a hatchling—not even close—and there was no guarantee she would change if she had an egg of her own.

"Hey," Ember called out, gathering Cynder's attention. Cynder looked at the fire dragoness, who pointed at a figure some ways away. "Why is that hatchling all by itself?"

The black dragoness followed the direction Ember was pointing in. Off in the distance was a single, lone hatchling. Cynder could just barely make out gray colored scales. It took her a moment to realize that the hatchling was part of the group that had surrounded her and Spyro from earlier. Why wasn't the little dragon practicing with the rest of his peers?

Ember nudged Cynder in the side with her tail. "Hey, how about you go find out what's wrong?"

Cynder shook her head. "That's probably not a good idea."

"No one else is going up to him!"

"Then why don't you go?"

"I still have to watch over my little cousin and his friend."

"That doesn't mean I have to do it."

"So you don't care what happens to that hatchling then?"

"I never said that!"

Ember, now visibly annoyed by the black dragoness's refusal to help a hatchling in need, gave Cynder a pointed stare. "Go."

The pink dragoness's playful and boisterous behavior was gone. Cynder felt a little more uneasy than she would have liked to admit. She got up, despite her reluctance. "Fine," she said. The black dragoness got up and looked back to her new companion—though Cynder wasn't quite sure if the pink dragoness could be considered her companion at this point. A smirk was drawn on Ember's lips. With a huff of annoyance, Cynder made her way over to the lone hatchling.

As she got closer, Cynder could make out sniffling sounds. She managed to hide her grimace, but her unease was beginning to grow worse. A hatchling was trouble enough, but a crying hatchling? She thought about turning around and facing Ember's wrath, but she had already reached her destination.

Cynder's shadow loomed over the back of the young hatchling. His paws were rubbing against his eyes in a vain attempt to stop the tears. He didn't appear to notice Cynder behind him, making her feel even more uncomfortable. Deciding not to spend the next few minutes standing around awkward, Cynder cleared her throat.

"Ahem."

The hatchling turned around, looking up at the older dragoness with wide eyes. His sobbing had ceased and a thin line of mucus trailed from his snout. Cynder wasn't sure that this was much more of an improvement. Had she lacked any self-control, she would have made a face. Licking her lips apprehensively, the dragoness greeted him. "Hello."

The gray-scaled dragon lifted a shaky paw and made an attempt to wave at her. "H-hello…" he replied meekly.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Cynder asked.

The hatchling averted his gaze from the dragoness, tears threatening to reform. Immediately, Cynder could tell that a direct approach was not going to get her anywhere. She quickly tried to think of some other way to cheer up the youngling. Her emerald eyes fell upon his scales.

"Are…are you a wind dragon?" she asked in hopes of distracting the young dragon. This question earned Cynder a silent nod and a short sniffle. Seeing a lack of tears gave the black dragoness something to work with. "I don't see too many wind dragons in Warfang," she continued in a gentle tone.

The small wind dragon looked up at her and said, "My mommy says that wind dragons are really rare."

"You must be very special then." The hatchling gave her a small smile. She was making progress. "What's your name?

"C-Cirrus."

Cynder gave the young dragon one of her kindest smiles. "Well, Cirrus, it's nice to meet you."

"I-it's nice to meet you too…" he said in a near whisper.

"So, uh…" Cynder started, trying to come up with something else to talk about. Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention—a small cone of flame conjured from a young fire dragon in the distance. "Do you mind showing me your wind breath?"

Cirrus absentmindedly began to pull out strands of grass from the ground. "I-it's not very good…" he murmured.

"Why not?"

"I don't have anyone to teach me…" Cirrus replied dejectedly.

Cynder's brow furrowed in confusion. "What about your mother?"

The young wind dragon rubbed his snout. "Mommy has to work a lot and she gets really tired when she comes home. She doesn't have time to teach me."

She felt a pang of sympathy for him. "And you don't have anyone else to teach you?" she asked quietly.

Cirrus shook his head. "I don't know any other wind dragons. Not even the purple dragon can help me."

Cynder looked over at Spyro. He was still actively helping the hoard of little ones that had approached them earlier. "So is that why you aren't with those other hatchlings?" The black dragoness didn't need an answer for that one. Cirrus's sad expression was enough of a response. "Then," she started, "how about I teach you?"

As soon as those words left Cynder's lips, she couldn't help but inwardly flinch. Was she even fit to teach anyone, let alone a hatchling? Cynder had no time to contemplate that question before the Cirrus's face lit up.

"Really?" he exclaimed. "You can teach me?" Cirrus's excitement quickly dissipated as confusion took its place. "But…you don't look like a wind dragon."

Cynder shook her head. "No, I don't," she said. "But I can do this…" The black dragoness stepped back and turned away from the young wind dragon. She inhaled deeply and released a steady breath of wind from her maw. As Cynder released control over her wind element, she could make out a gasp of amazement behind her.

Before Cynder could face Cirrus again, she was bombarded with questions. "How did you learn how to do that? Who taught you? Can I do that too? Can you teach me?"

"Well," Cynder started, not quite sure where to begin. Where _should_ she start? She had never taught something before. Everything she had learned had been through experience. Cirrus looked up at her expectantly. An idea came to mind.

"Close your eyes," she said after a pause. "Look deep within yourself to find the source of your element." The small wind dragon followed her words without hesitation. Cirrus scrunched up his face in his attempt to find his inner wind.

"I…I think I feel it," Cirrus spoke after several moments of searching.

Cynder blinked. She had recalled some of the lessons she had witnessed Spyro take with the guardians in the past and figured that it would be a good place to start. She didn't think it would actually work, or at least, not so soon. "Good. Now let it fill you and when you feel like you're ready to burst, let it out."

Cirrus nodded and opened his eyes much sooner that Cynder had expected. A small jet of wind burst from the hatchling's maw. It was still quite small considering how little Cirrus was, but his breath was actually a bit bigger than the ones Cynder had seen from the hatchlings around Spyro. Cirrus noticed this in particular and let out a loud cheer.

"I did it!" he shouted. Cirrus's enthusiasm and large grin warmed Cynder's heart. The little dragon rushed to her side and wrapped his tiny forepaws around one of her legs. "Thank you."

Cirrus broke away from the hug and asked her if she could teach him anything else. Cynder beamed at him and they spent the next hour or two working on his wind element. By the time they had decided to stop, the sun was a bright orange. Cirrus thanked her one last time before scampering off back to his friends who were also finished learning from their own instructor.

Cynder scanned the park, looking for either Spyro or Ember, and found the two dragons sitting in the grass chatting with each other. Curious, the black dragoness made her way over to them. As she neared, Spyro stopped mid-conversation to greet her.

"Hey, Cyn," he said cheerfully. He rose from the ground and nuzzled her lovingly. Cynder blushed at the public display of affection, especially in front of her new friend, but returned the gesture earnestly. As they parted, Cynder could see a knowing smile on Ember's lips.

"So I see you too have met," Cynder said. "What were you two talking about?"

"We were actually talking about you," Ember responded.

Spyro nodded in agreement. "She actually wanted to know more about you—your personality, what you like, what you dislike. Just small things," he added.

Cynder eyed her purple dragon suspiciously. "And what were these 'small things?'"

Noticing the accusatory tone of Cynder's voice, Ember came to Spyro's aid. "He just told me how you liked antelope and deer, how much you enjoyed reading and sparring."

Cynder relaxed, feeling relieved that Spyro hadn't divulged any embarrassing details about her or her life. "I see…Well that's just—"

"Oh! And he mentioned how you would make a great mother some day!"

The black dragoness opened and closed her mouth, trying to form words. She looked from the pink dragoness to her purple companion. Her gaze locked with Spyro's. "You…you think I'd be a good mother?" His only answer was a warm smile. "Why?"

"I was watching you and that wind dragon earlier," Spyro said before chuckling. "Did you really think I could keep my eyes off of you even if a bunch of hatchlings were climbing all over me?"

Cynder's cheeks were tinged red. "It-it didn't mean anything," she started. "I was—"

"It meant a lot to him," Spyro interrupted. "I know you don't really like hatchlings, but you still went over to him anyways. How could someone like that not make a great mother?"

Cynder looked down at her paws, thinking about his words. Spyro gave her a small lick on her cheek before pulling away. Ember, witnessing all this, beamed at the couple. After a few more moments, the pink dragoness spoke up.

"Well, I think it's getting late," she said, breaking Cynder away from her thoughts. "My aunt is going to be expecting my cousin to be home any time now." She stood up and stretched out her limbs. "It was nice meeting you two. I would love to talk again some time. Maybe I can bring my Flame next time." Her eyes brightened as an idea formed in her mind. "Oh! We can have a double date at one of the new restaurants! It'll be so fun!"

Spyro and Cynder nodded in unison and soon Ember departed. The pair left the park, sides pressed together and tails intertwined. Like many of their other walks together, this one was made in silence. The lack of conversation gave Cynder a fair amount of time to think over Spyro's words in the park. When they had reached the temple, Cynder paused and pulled away.

"Do you really think I'd make a good mother?" she asked before he could say anything.

"How many times do I have to say 'yes?'" he replied.

She shook her head uncomprehendingly. "But that was just one hatchling!"

"But you were still amazing," he countered. "And I know you'll be just as amazing for the next one."

"How do you know there will even be a next one?"

Spyro averted his gaze from Cynder's. He licked his lips with a hint of nervousness. "What happened today with all the hatchlings got me thinking," he started. "I actually really enjoyed teaching all those kids and I…I couldn't help but think." His eyes stared into hers. "How great would it be to have one of our own someday?"

"'Our?'" she repeated numbly. He wanted to have children with her?

Seeing no obvious expression on Cynder's face to tell him how she felt, Spyro began to panic. "I-it doesn't have to be right away or even any time soon!" he said quickly. His eyes and voice were full of sincerity. "I know this is still early for us, but I just…I can't imagine a life with you without an egg or two somewhere along the way."

Cynder's emerald orbs studied the handsome features of Spyro's face. Her eyes traced the outline of his strong jaws and the curvature of his golden horns. If she were to pick anyone to be the father of her eggs, it would be him. Cynder blushed at the thought.

"So, how about it?" Spyro asked.

"I'm not sure if I'll make a good mother," she said slowly, earning her a frown from Spyro. He opened his mouth to disagree, but Cynder stopped him. "But I think that I'm willing to try."

A wide grin was plastered on his muzzle. Cynder barely had time to see it before he pressed his lips against hers. When they broke the kiss, Spyro's snout was inches away from hers. "Can I spend the night with you?" he whispered.

"What about Sparx?"

Spyro's eyes flickered to the side, now thinking about his foster brother. "He'll understand."

"He won't stop complaining for a while though," Cynder joked, earning a chuckle from her purple dragon.

Spyro walked back to Cynder's side and tightly wound his tail around hers. "We can deal with him tomorrow. Tonight is going to just be about us."

Cynder gave Spyro a small lick on his snout. "I like that."

* * *

 **I have broken the curse! I've finally managed to upload a second chapter for anything for the first time in a really long time. In this case, I actually started working on this chapter shortly after the first. I've already planned a couple more ideas for this story, but for now I will take a quick break. I intend to write a fairly short oneshot for _Zootopia_ soon, so for those of you interested, keep an eye out.**

 **Regarding this chapter in particular, I do like the idea behind it. I wanted to play around with the idea of parenthood and how that would work out. I imagined Cynder being hesitant due to her past, though I'm not sure how well I actually did. I don't think I did as well as I could have with this chapter, but it was getting rather long and I did want to publish it. If you look closely, you could see how some parts were rather rushed. I didn't have much of idea of how to go about writing those out (like the one with Cirrus learning from Cynder). Ultimately though, I don't think what I wrote was particularly bad. Maybe I'll change my mind sometime in the future.**

 **And lastly, this chapter at near 5000 words is the most I have ever written. Thank you for those who are reading this story and thanks especially to my one anonymous reviewer.**


	3. Chapter 3 - A Day in Bed

**A Day in Bed**

Cynder snapped her wing joints into place and glided down towards the gardens of Warfang. Her paws touched down on the smooth, white stone of the small courtyard. All around her were a rainbow of colors from the different flowers surrounding her. The sweet scent of the many flora wafted up to her nostrils. She sighed contently.

The black dragoness was glad she and Spyro had decided to spend a day at the gardens. She couldn't quite remember the last time they had done this. Of course, with all of the other things they'd been doing lately, it wasn't all too surprising that she wouldn't be able to keep track. A faint blush rose to her cheeks as one particular activity they had been engaged in came to mind.

 _Oh, stop it. If Spyro knew you were thinking about_ that _, he'd be insufferable._

 _You know you enjoyed it just as much as he did,_ a voice in her head countered, _if not more so._

 _You're not helping!_

Shaking her head from her less than innocent thoughts, Cynder padded over to a spot in the nearby grass. She laid down and closed her eyes. The grass was soft and comfortable underneath her. The bright sun warmed her scales and the cool breeze was soothing against her face. Had she not been waiting for Spyro, she could have stayed like that for the whole day.

It was only a few minutes later when someone called out to her.

"Hey, Cyn. Sorry I'm late. Did I keep you waiting too long?"

Cynder's brow quirked at the sound of the voice. It sounded a bit…off. Had this person not have called her 'Cyn' she would not have known who it was. She opened her eyes to see Spyro standing before her. As she got a good look at the purple dragon, she immediately discovered why he had sounded so odd.

The young drake stood a bit shorter than usual. He was slightly hunched over and his wings and tail drooped down more than they normally did. His stance was not as strong as it typically was either. His breathing was uneven and slightly ragged. His snout was moist as well. Spyro, noticing her puzzled expression, cleared his throat to regain her attention.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice a bit nasally. "What are you—achoo!"

Cynder stepped back away from the purple dragon who wiped his snout with a paw. She eyed him accusingly. "You're sick," she said plainly.

"I-I'm not sick! I'm just…not feeling the greatest right now is all. I'll be fi—achoo!" Spyro smiled sheepishly as the black dragoness looked at him disapprovingly. "Okay, I'm sick."

"What am I going to do with you?"

"I'll be okay; I promise!" he said unconvincingly. He gestured to the gardens around them. "We can still have fun today. I'll just be a bit…" His words trailed off as he felt another sneeze building up. Cynder brought up a wing to shield herself. Luckily, the sick male fought off the sneeze.

A grimace made its way to Cynder's face. "I don't think we'll be able to stay at the gardens today." She eyed some nearby flowers. "The flowers probably don't help. Why didn't you just stay in your room? You shouldn't be out like this."

Spyro's head dipped guiltily. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't want you to worry and ruin our day at the gardens."

Cynder let out a small sigh. "You don't need to apologize. It happens. It's not your fault."

At this, the drake chuckled nervously. "Uh, yeah… About that…"

The dragoness shot him a pointed glare. "What did you do?"

He looked away, not wanting to match her gaze. "Flame and I may have, ah, been out for a late night swim."

She resisted the urge to slap a paw against her face. "I swear, you males…I knew Ember and I shouldn't have let you two have a drake's night out. You two always get into the worst trouble!"

Spyro shrunk at her words. "Going out for a little swim wasn't that bad!" he said in an attempt to defend him and his friend.

"Yet now you're sick. I can only imagine what Ember is going through with Flame right now." Sighing once more, this time more exasperated, Cynder started walking away from the gardens. "Come on, we're going to pay a visit to the infirmary."

Spyro fell into line without argument and walked up to her side not too closely. "Are we not flying?" he asked as they turned around the corner.

"You're not really in a good condition to be flying."

"Point taken."

After some weaving through the streets of Warfang, the duo found themselves approaching the public infirmary. They entered through the double doors into a waiting room. Chairs and cushions of all sizes were laid out across the floor. There were a handful of others patiently waiting for the healer.

To her right, Cynder could hear her companion groan upon seeing how many others were already in wait. She rolled her eyes at his antics and stepped up to the receptionist mole sitting at a desk nearby.

"Hello, Miss Cynder, Master Spyro," the mole greeted pleasantly, bobbing her head at each of them. "What can I do for you today?"

"Hi, we need to see the physician." Glancing out of the corner of her eye and at Spyro, she added, "This one managed to get a cold and we'd like to know if there's anything that can be done."

The mole nodded, flashing a smile. "I'll add you two to the list. A few others came here before you, so you'll have to wait a bit. I'll call you when it's time. Please take a seat while you wait."

Cynder returned thankful smile to the mole. Spyro mirrored her action. Unlike Cynder, however, his face scrunched up and he sneezed loudly. Both the black dragoness and the receptionist grimaced. "Sorry," Spyro apologized, sniffling.

The couple moved to one corner of the room, away from the other patients so as to not spread Spyro's sickness. Cynder didn't sit too closely to the drake either, not wishing to catch what he had either.

"This is entirely your fault," Cynder said.

"Yeah," he replied.

"No one else to blame but yourself."

"Yep."

"You deserved this."

"One hundred percent."

"I hope you know that I'm just teasing you."

"I know. Because you care."

"Because I care."

Spyro shifted next to her, drawing Cynder's attention. Their gazes met and the black dragoness could make out a glint in his eye. "You know," he started, "I haven't quite shown my appreciation for you for accompanying me here..."

Cynder raised an eye ridge at him curiously. While it was certainly possible that he was genuinely grateful for her company—an unlikely outcome given how suspicious he was acting—she could not ignore the telltale signs that her drake had something in mind. "And just what are you planning, you big oaf?"

He feigned a wounded expression, one that Cynder saw through immediately. "After all we've been through, you don't trust me? I really do want to thank you for coming here with me, you know," he said in a hurt tone.

Despite Spyro's terrible acting, the dragoness could not help but feel a pang of guilt. He did have a point. By now, she should have been trusting him completely. She dropped her suspicion in favor of shame. "I'm sorry," she said relenting. "I really do trust you, but sometimes it gets a little hard to do that when you act like you're trying to hide something."

Spyro shook his head. "Nope. Absolutely nothing to hide. I want to show you just how much I appreciate you." A devious smirk made its way onto his muzzle. "And I think the best way to do that is by giving you the biggest kiss I can manage."

The male leaned towards her, bringing his muzzle very close to hers. Cynder pulled away, squealing. "Don't you dare!" she shouted, gaining the attention of everyone else in the room. The dragoness was too preoccupied with her counterpart to notice though. "I do not want to get sick, thank you very much!"

"One kiss won't hurt!" Spyro argued. "C'mere!"

He stretched out his paws in attempt to bring her close. Cynder countered by placing her own paws on his shoulders and pushed away. In his weakened state, Spyro could not wrestle against her superior strength. Soon, the pair ended up on the floor with Cynder on top of the purple dragon, pinning him against the stone tiles.

"Miss Cynder, Master Spyro? Master Gilius is ready for you."

Cynder looked up. All around her were either strange looks or poorly hidden smirks. She felt a flush of embarrassment as she realized that they were still in public. The dragoness quickly leapt off her companion and pulled him up roughly. "Come on," she muttered. "Let's go, you big purple idiot."

Spyro only sported a large grin as they walked through a door into a smaller room. A counter ran across two of the four walls of the room, medical tools and materials arranged neatly across its surface. A set of cabinets rested above the counter. On another side of the room were a set of mats, all of different sizes. A mat large enough for a dragon was dragged out. In the middle of the room was a lone table carrying frequently used tools. Next to the table was a stool supporting a short mole.

Gilius wore tiny glasses perched upon his nose. A pair of white gloves covered his paws and a white coat covered his short fur. Upon seeing the two dragons enter the room, the mole hopped off his seat and spread his small arms out in a welcoming manner. "Now what do I owe the pleasure of seeing the two heroes of Warfang here?"

"My partner, here," Cynder said, gesturing to Spyro, "managed to get sick. We were hoping there was something you could do to cure him."

The mole stretched out a paw towards the sick dragon. "Well let's see it. Come here." Gilius paced around Spyro, studying him as he went. After two rotations, the mole stopped in front of the drake. "It looks like you have a cold, but I want to see if there's anything else going on. Open up that mouth of yours."

Spyro looked at Cynder hesitantly before obeying. The mole dragged the stool over and stood up on it. He grabbed either side of the purple dragon's jaw and peered into his mouth, unfazed by Spyro's many sharp teeth. Barely a second had passed before the mole pulled away suddenly and started coughing.

"Hoo!" he shouted. "Your breath smells absolutely terrible! You really are sick!"

A tinge of red appeared on Spyro's cheeks. Cynder managed to suppress a giggle. "Now that you mention it," the dragoness said, "that's what his breath normally smells like."

Spyro balked at her, the redness in his cheeks becoming more rosy. "How come you never mentioned that before?" he asked indignantly.

Cynder shrugged. "I guess I got used to it," she said cheekily. She turned to the mole. "So it's just a cold then?"

The mole nodded and stepped down from the stool. "That's what it looks like. It'll take a few days for him to recover, but he'll be fine."

A sniffle from Spyro caused both Gilius and Cynder to look at him. "Is there anything that you can do about it?" he asked.

Gilius rubbed his chin thoughtfully before shaking his head. "Not particularly. You just need to fight off this one on your own," he replied, resulting in a groan from Spyro. Cynder looked at the mole with pleading eyes, silently asking if there was anything else they could do. Despite all the teasing she had done at Spyro's expense, she still cared. Gilius sighed. "Though I suppose you could ask the moles for some garlic soup."

"Garlic soup?" Spyro repeated, a cringe forming on his muzzle.

"It's an old remedy that others have found helpful. I personally don't believe in it, but it could help with your cold. Maybe shave a day or two off you being sick. Other than that, there isn't much you can do about it. Coincidentally, how did you get sick anyways?"

Spyro rubbed his neck in embarrassment before relaying the details of the cause of his sickness, earning him a scolding from the physician and a grin from his black companion. The two dragons thanked him for his service before leaving the infirmary and continuing down the stone path to the Great Halls.

As they walked down the street, Cynder noticed that they were walking by their place of residence. An idea formed in her mind. She stopped in the middle of the street, prompting Spyro to as well.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She pointed to the temple. "How about you go back to your room and I'll bring you the soup," she said.

Spyro looked at her quizzically. "I thought we were going to the Great Halls together."

"I thought so too until I remembered that you're sick and there are going to be a lot of other people there eating their meals. I don't think they would appreciate someone sneezing all over their food even if you are the legendary purple dragon."

Seeing the truth in her words, Spyro nodded without contest. He reluctantly parted from her side and made his way to the steps. "Just don't be so long, okay?"

"I'll be quick," she reassured him. "I won't let you suffer _too_ much."

Spyro frowned. "That makes me feel so much better."

"And you'll feel even better once you have your soup!" she quipped, causing the drake to stick out his tongue out in disgust.

"Gee, I can't wait," he said dryly.

Cynder chuckled to herself as she continued to the Great Halls. On her way, she passed by those of various species ranging from the smallest moles to some of the largest dragons she had seen. Several people waved at her as she walked by and she returned their gestures. Others simply ignored her and went about their own business. Within minutes, the dragoness arrived at the Great Halls.

As she walked up the steps, the smell of freshly cooked food drifted down to her muzzle. She couldn't help but salivate at the delicious aromas. Maybe she would get something small for herself as well. Cynder made her way up to front and approached a mole working in the kitchens.

The mole wore an apron fit for her size and a large chef's hat covered her ears. "Miss Cynder!" she greeted. "How can I help you?"

"Hello, Adia. Can I have a serving of garlic soup?"

Adia blinked and looked at the dragoness oddly. "We don't normally serve garlic soup…"

"It's for Spyro," Cynder explained. "He's got a cold and the healer said that it might help."

"Ah," she said in understanding. "Alright then! Is there anything else you would like?"

Cynder licked her lips slowly before shaking her head. She wouldn't be able to carry a piece of meat and the soup. And if she stopped to eat before leaving, the soup would get cold. She could eat later. Spyro needed his soup as soon as possible "No, that'll be all," she said reluctantly.

The mole bobbed her head before scampering off to the kitchens. Cynder stood there patiently and soon Adia returned with the soup inside a container with a long handle attached to it. Cynder thanked the chef before grabbing the handle in her jaws. Once outside, the dragoness tested the container to see if it would easily spill. Satisfied that it wouldn't, she leapt off from the ground and took to the air.

Cynder arrived at the temple much sooner than if she had walked and silently praised the moles for coming up with something so convenient for dragons to use. She quickly walked up the steps and into the building. She turned down the halls and found herself in front of Spyro's room.

She tapped on the door three times with her tail, each time in a different manner. This was her and Spyro's way of alerting the other of who was at the door. It was quick and easy to recognize and made a neat little tune. The dragoness pushed the door open and with teeth still clenched around the container's handle said, "Ir'm heeree."

Cynder was welcomed by another sneeze. Rolling her eyes, she padded up her companion who was now resting on a large cushion and placed the soup in front of him.

"Thanks," he said sniffling.

Spyro opened the container and the smell of garlic filled the room, causing Cynder's face to scrunch up at the scent. The purple dragon looked down reluctantly at the concoction before looking up at Cynder with eyes that asked if he could skip drinking the soup. In response, Cynder only gave him a pointed stare. Spyro sighed before dipping his tongue into the soup experimentally.

His tongue immediately retracted as he made a disgusted face. "Bleh!" he exclaimed. "Do I really have to drink this stuff?"

Cynder nodded. "Yes, the doctor said so. You aren't going to get better any faster by just sitting there."

The drake stared at the soup for another moment before lifting the container up to his lips and drank deeply. The only sound in the room was the male's noisy gulping. After the last dredges of the drink disappeared into Spyro's maw, he quickly slammed the now empty container onto the floor and broke into a fit of coughs. Cynder rushed to his side, placing a gentle wing on his back in attempt to comfort him.

"Are you okay?"

He coughed once more before responding. "Yeah, the soup is just a little…strong."

"Well just a few more days of the stuff and you'll be fine," Cynder said with a smirk.

Spyro groaned and fell back into his cushion. "Don't remind me," he grumbled.

Cynder pulled up a spare cushion and set it a fair distance away from the male. In the silence that had grown between them, she could hear his slow, rhythmic breathing. Another moment passed before one of them spoke. It was Spyro.

"Hey," he called out. "Thanks for taking care of me. I know how I was joking back at the infirmary, but I really do appreciate all this."

A small smile formed on Cynder's lips. "I know. Do you want me to let you get some sleep?"

"That'd be great…" Spyro replied tiredly.

Nodding once, Cynder got up and walked to the door. She gave one last glance at her partner before exiting and leaving the purple dragon to fight off the sickness.

* * *

Spyro walked through the halls slowly, trying to minimize how much the container he held swung. The wooden handle attached to it made carrying the garlic soup held within infinitely easier. The smell wafted out of the box and into his nose, causing his face to scrunch up in disgust. He had hoped he would never have to smell its stench ever again—or at the very least, not quite so soon.

The purple dragon turned a corner and soon found himself standing before a wooden door. He tapped on it with his tail three times in a pattern before he let himself in. Immediately, his entrance was met with a groan.

"I hate you."

Spyro chuckled and shut the door behind him. He walked up to an occupied cushion and set the soup down. "You mean after all the soup I've been getting you these past few days, you hate me? Oh, Cyn, I'm hurt!" he said in a light tone.

Cynder let out a rough cough before getting up and grabbing the soup. She opened the container and wrinkled her nose at its smell. "I wouldn't even need this soup if it weren't for you," she replied nastily. She sighed once before bringing the drink to her lips.

Spyro couldn't help but smirk as he watched the dragoness's reaction to the soup. She shuddered as she drank and paused occasionally to cough. After days of being teased by the dragoness, it was finally his turn. "And who was it that said that 'one little kiss wouldn't hurt?'"

The dragoness lowered the soup from her maw and glared at him. "You say anything more and you'll be wearing this soup."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Spyro said, relenting. Cynder shook her head at him, obviously annoyed. He shot her a sly glance out of the corner of his eye. "It was a _very_ nice kiss, though."

Outside in the halls, a mole walked by minding his own business. A shout followed by a loud splash startled him, causing the mole to pause. He looked around for a moment to identify the source of the oddity, but discovered nothing. Shrugging, the mole carried on, ignorant of what was going on behind Cynder's door.

* * *

 **This chapter was a little more fun than the others I've written so far and will likely be more fun that the others I have planned for the future. Originally, I had intended for this chapter to be about a complete different idea. Unfortunately for that chapter, I ran into a little trouble and ended up starting this one instead. I do like how this turned out for the most part.**

 **I am unsure as to when the next chapter for this story will come up. I have tests coming up for different classes and then finals a couple weeks after. It probably won't be a full month before I update this story again (when finals have ended) and I will likely get in another update within the next two weeks, but you should not expect anything.**

 **Thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who opt to review.**


	4. Chapter 4 - A Night at the Bar

**A Night at the Bar**

When Cynder had suggested that they join in on the festivities celebrating the first anniversary of Malefor's defeat, Spyro had expected to spend a relaxing day by his mate's side. He had expected to peruse the many stalls that had been set up, try out the new and exotic foods on display or spectate the wide variety of competitions that were being held. He and Cynder had done all that and more, but coming to one of Warfang's pubs was the last thing he thought they'd do.

He wouldn't say that he was particularly unhappy or uncomfortable with the dimly lit tavern or its patrons. A shout followed by a large thud caused the purple dragon to flinch. _Make that very rowdy patrons,_ Spyro thought to himself.

No, the only thing that was bothering him was the black-scaled dragoness in the center of the room. Under any normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been worried about Cynder at all. He knew she was completely capable of taking care of herself. But now, she wasn't quite really herself.

"Is that all ya got?!" Cynder shouted over the other loud voices in the pub. "I'm just getting started!"

Spyro stared at the dragoness in astonishment as she quickly downed another mug of alcohol in just a few moments. As soon as the last drops of the mead left the container, Cynder slammed it down onto the wooden table in front of her. An earth dragon who had accepted her drinking challenge looked at her stunned with a half-full cup in his paws. Sighing in defeat, Cynder's opponent dragged himself away from the table. A wicked grin was plastered on the dragoness's muzzle.

"Alright! Who's next? I can drink any one of you under the table!" she jeered.

Spyro sighed and shook his head as yet another dragon, this time a fire dragon, sat down across from the black dragoness. A series of taunts and jeers aimed at her new opponent escaped from Cynder's muzzle. She was enjoying herself. Spyro was glad, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel a bit neglected.

He looked down at the drink in his paws and took a modest sip. The taste was bitter on his tongue and he managed to fight back a grimace. How Cynder could stomach so much of it in so little time surprised Spyro. He couldn't see himself lasting long in a drinking competition—not that he would ever be involved in one, of course.

Still though, the liquor helped divert his thoughts away from the black dragoness. It also distracted him from the small mole pulling up a stool next to him at the bar. Another round of shouts and cheers drew Spyro's attention back to Cynder's competition. Another victory for the dragoness it seemed.

Spyro's eyes wandered around the tavern. There was nothing of interest for the purple dragon, leaving him to stare into his near empty mug. A nearby grunt caught his attention.

A cheetah standing behind the bar was cleaning an empty mug with a rag. "You want another?"

The drake looked at the barkeep then to his drink. He shook his head. "No, thanks. I don't think I'll be having any more."

"He can pull the world back together, but can't handle a little drink? How pathetic," a voice to his side said.

Spyro quirked his brow and turned. To his left was the mole who had sat down earlier. "Excuse me?"

The mole drank large gulps from a mug that was almost comically large for him. He looked at the dragon with an uninterested gaze. "What? Ya hard of hearin' or somethin'? Ya heard me. Or are ya already too drunk to understand what I'm sayin'?"

A frown was etched on Spyro's muzzle. "I'm not drunk and I can understand you just fine. I just don't see what the appeal of this stuff is," he said, swishing around the remaining contents of his mug.

The mole scoffed. "That's because ya picked some piss-poor ale!" He gestured to the bartender. "Hey, cat! Why do ya even serve that crap here?"

The feline shrugged, unbothered by the mole's rude behavior. "Some people actually like it. It's cheap too."

"Well those people don't deserve to drink. They have terrible taste in alcohol!"

"That they do, Aedric," the barkeep nodded in agreement.

Spyro looked at the two curiously. "And what alcohol would be considered good alcohol?"

Aedric, the mole, ignored the drake and continued drinking, causing some irritation to fester within Spyro. The cheetah was more accommodating, fortunately, and answered his question. "It's more just personal preference."

"Then how can you say that anyone's drink is bad?" Spyro argued.

"Because they are!" Aedric said definitively, hardly pausing in between drinks.

"That doesn't make sense!" Spyro said, frustrated.

"Not many things do."

The purple dragon rolled his eyes. "Then what drink do _you_ think is good?" Spyro eyed the mole impatiently, waiting for a response. Aedric either failed to notice or didn't care and continued to empty his mug. "Well?"

Aedric set his mug down on the counter and sighed. He muttered to himself, "Damn dragons, lettin' all their power go to their heads. Won't even let me have a peaceful drink." Spyro's jaw dropped, offended. He opened his mouth to say something when the crass mole held up a paw. "Hey, cat! Get us a couple of ciders and I'll show this dragon what a good drink is."

The cheetah crouched down below the counter to grab a bottle. Spyro leaned over to see what the barkeep was getting, but immediately jumped back as the feline shot up. In one paw was an indistinct bottle and in the other was another pair of mugs. He placed the mugs in front of the mole and the dragon and opened the bottle. He poured its contents into each of the cups and handed them to Spyro and Aedric.

Spyro looked into his mug to see a fizzy liquid with a faint fruity smell emanating from it. He turned his gaze to Aedric who picked up the mug and started drinking without hesitation. Spyro picked up his own mug and took a cautious sip. The cider was tingly on his tongue and tasted like apples. It was actually quite nice. The purple dragon licked his lips, savoring the sweet taste. "It's good."

Noticing the drake's satisfaction, Aedric lowered his mug and said, "Not like that crap you were drinkin' earlier, yeah?"

Allowing himself a small smile, Spyro nodded. "I guess I know what I'll be ordering from now on."

Aedric merely grunted and continued drinking. The drake lifted the mug up to his lips for another drink, but paused. He looked at the mole beside him curiously. The mole caught Spyro staring and called him out. "What do ya want now?"

Spyro's cheeks flushed. "What do you do?"

Aedric raised an eyebrow. "What kinda question is that?"

"I mean, what do you do for a living?"

The mole let out a drawn out sigh. "Ya dragons always have to butt into everythin', don't you?"

The purple dragon balked. "No, no! I don't mean to—"

"I'm a blacksmith, if you must know."

"Ah, I see…" Spyro said noncommittedly. A sense of guilt washed over the drake from the mole's accusation. He wasn't trying to be nosy; he was just interested in what someone else who lived in Warfang did in their everyday lives. He took a small sip from his mug and swirled the liquid around in his mouth.

Aedric turned to him. "Well, aren't ya gonna to ask anythin' else?"

Caught off guard, Spyro only uttered a single syllable. "What?"

"Ya interrupt my drinkin' to ask me about my life and then decide to leave at one question? If I were a violent person, I'd smack ya over the head for bein' so rude."

Exasperated, Spyro laid his head on the counter and rubbed his temples.

"So ya have enough to drink now or what?" Aedric barked. "Damn lightweight."

Spyro ignored the mole's commentary and tried to think of something to ask. After a moment, he decided upon, "So what kind of stuff do you make as a blacksmith?"

"Durin' the war, I made all sorts of weapons from swords and maces to lances. Armor too. Nowadays, I just focus on makin' quality tools," he replied casually, not noticing or not caring how irritated Spyro was.

"Is there anything else you do?"

Aedric shifted in his seat. "Not particularly. Though I do make jewelry for my wife every now and then."

"You have a wife?" Spyro asked, shocked. How could someone stand the mole's incredulous behavior?

"Ah, yes, my darlin' Mara," he said, his eyes distant as if he was recalling something. "She's the love of my life. I don't know where I'd be without her."

Spyro glanced in Cynder's direction. "I know what you mean."

"'Course she can be a real handful sometimes…" Aedric trailed off, grumbling to himself.

The purple dragon studied the mole quizzically. In one moment, he could be harsh and abrasive. And in the other, he'd be rather normal. Then he'd go back to his less than pleasant self. He was an odd mole, but seemed to be fairly knowledgeable. He was well-versed in alcohol. He was even an experienced blacksmith and a hobbyist jewel maker. A thought occurred to Spyro.

"Hey, Aedric," he said, gaining the mole's attention.

"Mmm?" Aedric replied as he took a drink.

"You said you make jewelry, right?"

"I'm not makin' anythin' for yer dragoness."

Spyro blinked in surprise. "How did you know I was going to ask?"

Aedric waved his mug around in the drake's face. "It's written all over yer face! Everyone knows yer always thinkin' about her. Almost sickening, really."

Spyro's face reddened. Was he really that obvious? "How is it sickening? You were doing the same thing with your wife!"

"Aye, and it was absolutely disgusting. Doesn't mean I love her any less though."

Spyro sighed, growing tired of the mole's antics. "So there's no chance you can make a necklace or something for Cynder?"

"None." Aedric glanced at the dragon from the corner of his eye. Spyro's shoulders were slumped and his tail limp. Shaking his head, the mole then said, "If ya wanna get something nice for your lady, you either go find someone else or ya make it yourself."

"Well, do you know anyone else who knows how to make jewelry?"

Aedric shrugged. "Eh, not really."

"Then I guess I'll have to go to the market or something. Maybe I'll find something nice there."

"Good luck with that," the mole snorted.

Spyro raised an eye ridge. "What do you mean by that?"

"Everyone knows how pricey the stuff there is. Lot cheaper to make it yerself."

"But I don't know how to make jewelry and I don't know anyone who can teach me."

"I can be a pretty good teacher, ya know."

The purple dragon eyed the mole doubtfully. "But you just said that you wouldn't make anything for me."

"Didn't say nothin' about teachin'."

"Are you being serious right now?" Spyro asked hesitantly.

Aedric lifted his mug to his lips and finished off the rest of his drink. He grabbed a few gems from a pouch on his side and tossed them onto the counter. "If ya want to take me up on the offer, you come see me in the crafting district sometime next week." He hopped off the stool and started walking to the door.

Spyro got up from his seat to follow the mole. "Hey, wait!" he called out. The mole didn't break his stride and ignored the drake. "Why'd you offer to teach me? Why did—gah!"

Something smooth and cold stroked the scales of his underbelly, causing the male to jump. He immediately recoiled to see Cynder pulling her metal tail blade back to herself. A wave of confusion replaced his surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a fit of giggles.

"Hey there, handsome," she said, the smell of alcohol heavy on her breath.

Cynder rubbed her side against Spyro's. His face flushed as he remembered that they were both in full view of the pub's patrons. "Cynder, wh-what are you doing?"

The dragoness slid her head underneath the drake's neck and nuzzled him fiercely. "I just wanted to show you how much I love you." She pulled back and matched his gaze with a rather seductive one of hers. Her voice lowered a pitch or two. "And right now, I _really_ love you."

Spyro's heart began to beat faster as he realized exactly what she wanted. He slowly backed away from her, keeping in mind that they were still very much in public. That didn't seem to deter Cynder, however, as she stalked towards him with a hunger in her eyes. Spyro stumbled over his own paws and fell onto his back. There was a devilish grin on the dragoness's muzzle.

He scooted away from her as she got closer. "N-now, Cynder," he stammered, "i-if you want _that_ , we should head home first."

"What I need right now is you," she purred.

"I didn't know we were getting a show!" a voice in the bar shouted.

"I guess we'll finally see just how 'impressive' the purple dragon is!" another joked.

Spyro shrunk underneath their comments and quickly got up. He placed a wing over Cynder's back and rushed her to the door. As they walked into the cool night breeze, he could hear the bartender call out to them.

"Hey! You still haven't paid yet!"

"We'll pay later! Sorry!"

After several minutes of struggling with Cynder on the streets, Spyro managed to get them back to their room. As they stepped inside, Cynder wrapped her paws around him and began a trail of kisses along his neck. The smell of alcohol on her was still strong. He tried to pull away—he couldn't take advantage of her inebriated state—but her grip on him was strong. She mashed her lips against his.

"Mmph!" he cried out. He could taste the alcohol on her tongue. They stayed like that for a few moments, Cynder's limbs wrapped securely around Spyro, before she gave him enough room to pull away to breathe. Cynder leaned in again for another kiss, but the purple drake managed to free himself.

A mix of longing, hurt, and confusion was in Cynder's eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Don't you love me?"

Spyro, still breathing hard, placed a paw on his chest in an attempt to calm his pounding heart and quell the carnal desire Cynder was inspiring within him. "Of course I do, but you're not yourself right now. I don't want to take advantage of you like that."

"You're so sweet." She nuzzled him deeply, rubbing her shoulders against his chest. "But I want you so much right now."

He flared his nostrils as her inviting scent filled the air. Spyro let out a low whine. It was taking all of his willpower to not give in. "I-I know, but l-let's just go to sleep. There isn't anything we can do." A great deal of her weight pressed against him, threatening to topple them both onto the ground if Spyro didn't support her. "Cyn?"

He looked at her to see her closed eyes and he could make out her slow and steady breaths. She was already asleep. Spyro smiled and carried her over to the cushions that served as their bed. With her now asleep, it would make ignoring his urges much easier. He laid his head down on his paws and tried to fall asleep next to his mate. Unfortunately for the young male, the effects of Cynder's advancements still hadn't left him yet.

Spyro sighed and did he best to forget the fire he felt in his belly. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **Somehow I managed to finish another chapter for this story. And so far, this one has given me the most trouble. I had to rewrite this one a couple times before I was satisfied, and I hope you enjoy it despite it being a bit of a filler. The main purpose of this chapter was to transition to the next chapter which will focus on the main thing introduced into this chapter: Aedric and his jewel making. You probably have an idea of what will happen next chapter.**

 **I do have final exams in two weeks and will refrain from working on the next chapter until at least those have passed.**

 **Thank you for reading and thank you to those who reviewed!**


	5. Chapter 5 - One Year Later

**One Year Later**

Cynder gnashed her teeth together and her tail lashed behind her in agitation. Her claws began to knead into the stone beneath her as she scanned the gardens around her. Part of her felt a bit guilty for marring some of the garden's beauty, but the rest of her was growing too anxious to really care. Where was Ember? The pink dragoness had agreed to meet her almost half an hour ago.

The minutes that had passed could have been used to help Cynder work through her current problem, the one whose importance she had emphasized to Ember. A wave of relief washed over Cynder as she spied a spot of pink in the sky. As Ember landed, Cynder let out a huff of annoyance.

"Where were you?" she said sharply. Cynder's eye twitched. "We said to meet here over half an hour ago."

"I know, I'm sorry!" Ember said apologetically. "I just couldn't get away from Flame. He can get so clingy sometimes!"

"Better that he's clingy than not really there at all," Cynder muttered.

Ember looked at her friend, eyes filled with concern. "Wait, what's going on between you and Spyro?" she asked, understanding the meaning behind her words.

The black dragoness opened her mouth to say 'nothing' but caught herself before she could. It was a force of habit. Normally, the only one she would ever voice her problems to would be Spyro. She had never let anyone else know what was bothering her, not even the Guardians. But this was a special circumstance. Spyro wasn't here to listen to her troubles, in fact…

"Yes," Cynder replied hesitantly. "It's about Spyro."

Ember adopted a new demeanor different from her typical cheerful attitude, one of seriousness and determination. "Come on. Let's find someplace to sit and you can tell me what's up." She started walking towards a large patch of shade in the grass by a large tree. Cynder trailed behind her and soon the two were seated comfortably. Ember folded one paw over the other and eyed the dragoness intently. "Alright. Lay it on me."

Cynder offered Ember a small smile of gratitude. Already the fire dragoness was proving to be an excellent person to confide in. "He's been a bit distant lately," she began. "We haven't been spending as much time together as we used to. And when we have been together, he's always so tired. Our one year anniversary is coming up soon too."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

She shook her head. "No, I haven't had the chance to."

Ember tapped her chin. "Do you have any idea why he might be acting like this?"

"I'm not completely sure, but he's been spending a lot of time with this mole he met a few months back."

"A mole? Do you know who it is?"

"His name's Aedric, but I've only met him a couple of times." Cynder recalled the few encounters she had with the mole and visibly bristled. She slammed a paw onto the grass, flattening it. "Ugh, he's so infuriating."

"Are you talking about Spyro or Aedric?" Ember asked, confused.

"A bit of both," Cynder half-joked. "But mainly Aedric. Every time I saw him, he was so rude. He kept making jabs about Spyro or dragons or how terrible everything was. And the thing is, Spyro didn't even care. He even tried to defend the mole when I called him out on it! The only time Spyro did anything was when Aedric made a comment about me."

"What did he say?" The black dragoness whispered something into her ear, causing Ember's eyes to widen. "Oh. At least you know he still cares about you," she said, trying to calm Cynder.

Thankfully, it worked and Cynder simmered down. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Something doesn't add up though," the fire dragoness said. "In the time I've known Spyro, he'd never let someone just walk all over him like that. There has to be a reason for why he's acting so strangely. When did you say he met Aedric again?"

"I think it was during the festival when everyone was celebrating Malefor's defeat."

"Wasn't that when you went to that one bar with Spyro and got really, really drunk?" Cynder's face reddened. A devilish smirk spread across Ember's lips. "You never did tell me what else happened that night. Did you two have drunk sex? How was it?"

Cynder swatted the pink dragoness who then cried out in mock pain. "Hush! We did not have drunk sex! We didn't have sex at all that night actually. Spyro was too sweet and decided not to take advantage of me like that."

A memory of the morning after resurfaced in her mind. While the two mates certainly hadn't done anything the night before, that hadn't stopped Cynder from taking exactly what she had wanted earlier from the male as soon as she regained consciousness. He did, after all, deserve a reward for being such a good drake. She had made sure to show her appreciation.

Realizing that her thoughts were now within the realm of the less innocent, Cynder shook her head to try to clear her mind. Unfortunately for the dragoness, she was still with Ember who had the annoying habit of bringing up unrelated thoughts.

"So what happened the next morning then?" Ember asked cheekily. It was as if she was reading her companion's thoughts.

"Enough! I asked you to come here so I could have someone to talk to about Spyro, not about our sex life!"

The pink dragoness raised up her paws in defense. "Sorry, I was just curious. So, is there anything else you know about this Aedric?"

"Well, Spyro mentioned he likes drinking. I also know he's a blacksmith and that he has a wife, but that's about it."

"Wait. This guy has a wife?" Ember asked incredulously.

Cynder shrugged. "I don't know how he managed to get her to—what do those moles call it again?"

"Marry?" the fire dragoness supplied.

"Marry him, right. Thank you. I could barely stand a few minutes with him. I couldn't imagine what spending a lifetime with him would be like."

"It would be pure torture."

"Agreed."

A period of silence emerged between the two dragoness as they drifted towards other thoughts. Cynder focused mainly on her issue with Spyro and tried to figure out the reasoning behind his behavior lately. So far, she and Ember had discussed when the drake had started acting strangely which had led to Aedric.

She strongly suspected the annoying little mole was the cause of it, but she had no concrete evidence to back it up. While earlier she had said she hadn't had the chance to question Spyro directly, Cynder doubted she would get a straight answer out of him if she did ask him. She couldn't ask Aedric either for obvious reasons. There was no one else she knew who could possibly help her out, leaving the dragoness with only one option.

"Hey, Ember," she said. "What if I followed him around?"

"Spyro? I'm not sure. Maybe you could figure something out. It could work, but if you get caught…"

"I know, but it's the only idea I have right now."

"Well, if you really want to know what's been causing Spyro to behave differently, I guess that's what you'll have to do."

Cynder gave Ember a grateful smile. "Thank you so much for coming here, Ember. I really appreciate it."

Ember returned the gesture in earnest. "What are friends for?" The two dragoness stood up and Cynder unfurled her wings, preparing to take off. "Oh, wait! There's one thing I wanted to talk to you about!"

The black dragoness looked at her curiously. "What did you have in mind?"

"Earlier, you said that Aedric mole had a wife, right?"

Cynder nodded. "And I talked about how anyone could possibly marry that mole. Where are you going with this?"

"I was actually thinking about that mole custom—marriage. Have you ever thought about marrying Spyro?"

Cynder's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She was still processing Ember's question. Would she marry Spyro? It sounded like such an odd idea, carrying out a mole tradition. Dragons already had their own rituals to become mates. She and Spyro had performed those already—and rather thoroughly too, Cynder thought to herself with a hint of embarrassment. After another moment of contemplation, she figured there was no real reason why she wouldn't.

"I haven't thought about it until now. We're already mates, but I don't think I would be against marrying him." She then redirected the question back at the fire dragoness. "What about you and Flame? Would you marry him?"

Ember rubbed her chin thoughtfully. It was hardly a second before she came to her own conclusion. "Only if he proposes with a nice, big ruby ring."

Cynder couldn't help but chuckle at her response. The dragoness waved Ember goodbye and proceeded to take off, heading for the room she shared with Spyro. As she flew through the air, Cynder began to formulate her plan for tailing the purple dragon.

* * *

Cynder sighed contently and snuggled closer to Spyro. She buried her muzzle in the crook of his neck and inhaled his musky scent. "I love you," she said.

She felt his lips brush against her cheek, bringing a smile to her face. "I love you too," he replied. She rotated her head to look at him face to face. Those beautiful lilac eyes of his stared into her own and drew her in. Cynder leaned towards the purple dragon and shared a passionate kiss with the male. As the kiss ended, she pulled away from him. She expected to see that large grin of his she had become so accustomed to, but only saw a frown full of regret.

She shot him an accusing look. "You're leaving again," she said flatly.

Spyro nodded once. "I'm sorry." He leaned in to give her another kiss, one of apology, but Cynder pushed him away.

"Don't." She stepped off their shared cushion and moved onto an empty one nearby. She heard Spyro get up and walk over to her, his paws scuffling against the stone floor. He placed a wing over her, but Cynder quickly shrugged it off.

"Cyn, please. I know I haven't been spending a lot of time with you, but—"

Cynder whirled around. "But what? What's so important that you have to do with Aedric?"

Spyro wore a strained look. He opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it. He licked his lips hesitantly. "I…I can't tell you—not now anyways. I just need you to trust me on this. Just for a little longer."

"How much longer?! Our one year anniversary is next week!" Cynder shut her eyes and turned away from him. Her heart ached from the neglect.

"I know," Spyro said softly. "But I promise you that everything will be fine by then. I won't let you down. You mean everything to me."

"Then why are you spending more time with Aedric than with me? I don't even know how you can stand being around him."

"He isn't so bad once you get to know him," he said. Cynder gave him a pointed stare. "Okay, he can still be pretty bad," Spyro admitted. He tried flashing his mate a brief smile, but the cold shoulder she was giving him wiped it away. "But seriously, he does have _some_ good traits."

"Such as?"

"Uh, he's a good blacksmith?" the purple dragon offered. Cynder rolled her eyes. Why would him being a blacksmith mean much anyways? "And he, uh, knows some good drinks. Maybe he could suggest something for you."

She scoffed at him. "I don't even want to talk to him. Especially not after what he said that time."

"He won't ever say anything like that ever again," Spyro said in a low tone. Cynder could hear the anger in his voice as he spoke. It brought some comfort to the dragoness and softened her heart if only just a bit. He leaned in towards her and rubbed his cheek against hers. This time, Cynder didn't react. "I'm sorry," he said again. "It'll just be one more week. I promise."

The dragoness looked up at her mate. She could see all the love he had for her in his eyes and how sincere he was being. She sighed and buried her face into her wing. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Okay." He moved back to the cushion they had been sharing earlier and plopped onto it. "I love you," he said gently.

Cynder simply kept quiet and closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep. She wanted nothing more than to return those words back to him, but right now she just needed rest. Tomorrow she would find out whether or not he truly did care for her. Tomorrow she would follow him throughout Warfang.

* * *

The next morning Cynder made sure to wake up early. As she got up and stretched, she glanced over at Spyro's sleeping form. He looked peaceful with his head tucked into his wings and his tail wrapped around him. She let out a small sigh before heading out for a quick breakfast.

The sun was still low in the sky when the dragoness exited the temple. She briefly scanned the streets to find hardly anyone walking about. There were a couple cheetahs, some moles, and one dragon up. She ignored all of them and soon found herself in the Great Hall. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the delicious aromas of freshly cooked meat.

The chefs were surprised to see Cynder so early in the morning, but greeted her politely all the same. They handed her a plate of deer and she thanked them for it. She took her meal to a nearby table and quickly scarfed it down. She didn't want to risk missing Spyro wake up and leave the temple, possibly going somewhere else where she would never find him.

When she left the Great Halls, a fair number of people were out and about in the streets. Cynder felt a brief moment of panic before looking up and seeing how low the sun was still. The purple dragon wouldn't be up for a while longer. This was one of the few times she was glad Spyro was lazy.

Cynder flew over to a building nearby the temple with a good vantage point. She would be able to track Spyro's movements the second he left. From there, she would dip into the shadows where she wouldn't be seen and watch from a distance. Cynder was determined to find out exactly what he was doing.

After some time, Cynder spotted a purple figure emerge from within the temple. The black dragoness perked up and focused her gaze onto her mate. Spyro turned onto the street and made his way to the Great Hall with Cynder following closely behind and out of sight. He walked into the building and she waited patiently for him to finish his breakfast. When he came back out, Cynder could just make out a bit of sauce along his jaw.

She rolled her eyes. _Typical._

The dragoness continued to follow him throughout Warfang. She noted the different streets he walked down and realized that he was heading to the crafting district. He was heading to Aedric's forge. She knew he was going to wind up there are some point, but knowing that didn't make her any less disappointed. Soon, Spyro arrived at the forge and a small mole stepped out of the door. He yelled something at the drake that Cynder couldn't make out and the two disappeared inside.

Cynder looked around, watching out for anyone who might see her. When she spotted an opening, she darted across the street and into the forge. Immediately upon entering, she could easily feel the heat from the large furnace used to heat up metal. She spied a stack of barrels in the corner and hid behind them. She erupted from the shadows and sucked in a large breath. She panted quietly. She hadn't used her shadow element so extensively in a long time. It was exhausting.

An unexpected shout caused the dragoness to jump. Her battle instincts drove her to bare her teeth and claws, but remembering the situation she was in, Cynder forced herself to calm down and peeked out from behind the barrels. Aedric was scolding the purple dragon again. To many others, it would have been an amusing sight to see the savior of the realms submitting to a creature a quarter of his size. But for Cynder, it only worsened her view of the mole.

The drake and the mole stood beside a long, short table with various tools scattered across it. Aedric pointed at something off to the side out of Cynder's view. She listened closely to what they were saying, but only caught the end of it.

"…do ya lose something like that?" Aedric said. "At this rate, it ain't gonna be finished by next week!"

A frown was on Spyro's lips. "I can go out and get another. And I will finish it. I promised that I would. It'll be ready by next week. Finding another and setting it won't take that long. You've at least taught me well enough for me to know that."

Aedric huffed and dismissed him with a wave of his paw. "Ah, whatever. It's yer funeral if ya don't get it done. If ya need me, I'll be in the back drinking."

As the mole vanished from Cynder's sight, Spyro called out to him. "Isn't a little too early for drinking?"

"Not with ya around, it ain't!" he shouted back.

Spyro shook his head and turned around. He passed by the barrels Cynder hid behind and walked back out of the forge, picking up a satchel on his way out. Their conversation lingered inside her mind. It raised several questions. What did Spyro lose and what did he need it for? She needed to know more. Cynder sank back into the shadows and followed Spyro once again.

As she tailed him, she felt some measure of satisfaction. So far, her plan had proved fruitful. She now had some idea as to why her mate was spending so much time with Aedric. The mole had been instructing the drake in something. Likely in the art of blacksmithing, but she couldn't figure out what Spyro could possibly do with that knowledge. Why would he ever bother making something?

There was barely any time for Cynder to ponder that any further as Spyro stopped by a different building a moment later. It appeared to be some sort of jewelry shop. Inside, Spyro was talking with a cheetah. The two quietly conversed and Cynder strained herself to catch some words.

"Do you have one in stock?" she heard Spyro say.

"I have a few left over. Let me check." The cheetah disappeared from view. The purple dragon stood alone in the shop and looked around. His eyes wandered over to where she was hiding and he stopped. His gaze lingered there for a moment, bringing a mixture of shock and panic to the dragoness. Spyro took a step forward, but the cheetah returned before the drake could further inspect her hiding place.

 _Does he really know me that well?_

Cynder dismissed that thought and refocused at the situation at hand. The cheetah had something in his paws when he had come back, but she had missed what it was. She darted into a different patch of shadow to get a better view and immediately saw several large rubies spread before the purple dragon. She watched him pick up each one and study them. What he was looking for exactly, she couldn't quite figure out. Since when did he know anything about jewels?

 _Aedric must have told him what to look for,_ she decided. After another moment, Spyro picked out one of the rubies and reached into his satchel. He pulled out several gems, the currency used in Warfang, and handed them over to the cheetah. With a nod of satisfaction, the shopkeeper pocketed the money and gathered the rest of the rubies and left the room. The purple dragon stored his new purchase within his satchel and left.

The black dragoness prepared herself to take off after him until he started walking towards her previous hiding spot. He examined the area briefly before scrunching up his face in confusion. She heard him mutter, "I swore I saw something here…" With a shake of his head, Spyro resumed his trip to Aedric's forge. He didn't stop at any point along the way and Cynder silently thanked the ancestors for not letting him be sidetracked again.

When they arrived at the forge once more, Cynder waited a minute before following the drake back inside. She hid back behind the barrels from earlier and saw Spyro with the ruby he had just purchased in his paw. Aedric walked into the room a moment later with a rather large sword in his paws. The small mole stumbled a bit before heaving it onto his work table. He wordlessly, to Cynder's surprise, took the ruby out of Spyro's paws and held it above the sword's pommel.

"Aye, this'll work," she heard him say. Aedric handed the ruby back to the drake as well as the sword. "Ya take care of it then. I'm goin' back to my drink."

Spyro sighed and rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Instead, he turned to the sword and the ruby and inspected them individually. With ruby in paw, he looked at the sword once more before grabbing something off the table and slipping it onto his claws. It looked like a glove of sorts that would fit over a dragon's paw. The tips seemed to be reinforced with some metal. Spyro brought a reinforced claw up to the ruby and began to whittle it away.

Cynder glanced between the stone and her mate and watched him work at the gem with a sense of awe and fascination. A mask of deep concentration covered Spyro's face as he carefully cut away at the ruby's surface. She had rarely seen him so focused on a single task since the war ended. In the other things she'd seen him do, he had always done them with a mild interest. But with this, he gave his work his undivided attention.

She felt a pang of guilt as she recalled their conversation from the night before. He had tried being sweet to her while she had just given him the cold shoulder. She hadn't entertained the idea that he actually enjoyed spending time with Aedric, time she now knew he had spent learning blacksmithing. He was happy and she was selfish.

Now feeling like a terrible mate, Cynder dipped back into the shadows and spared the purple dragon one more glance. A smile was on his lips as he examined his freshly cut ruby. She turned away from him and left Aedric's forge.

* * *

The next week passed by rather quickly and to his word, Spyro had made the effort to spend more time with Cynder. Unfortunately for the purple drake, his mate hadn't been very receptive. Every time he had suggested they do something like visit the park or go on walks together, Cynder was distracted and kept thinking back to the other night. As a result, she was the one who became distant.

Spyro, however, had not let this behavior discourage him from attempting to show his dragoness his feelings for her. He had shown the same eagerness he normally did months ago before any of this had started. And Cynder felt even more guilt.

On the day of their anniversary, the black dragoness had woken to his handsome amethyst eyes gazing down upon her lovingly. "Happy anniversary," he said softly.

Not wanting to ruin this day for her mate, Cynder pushed back the negative thoughts she had been feeling recently into the recesses of her mind. She gave him a small smile and licked his cheek. "Happy anniversary to you too."

He boasted a large grin on his muzzle. "Let's go get breakfast."

And so they left for the Great Hall, tails intertwined. Cynder pressed against his warm flank and Spyro draped his wing over her in response. She nuzzled him softly as they slowly made their way through the streets. His familiar scent helped further push back her guilty feelings and comforted her.

When they received their meals, they sat down next to each other at an empty table and silently conversed as they ate. They discussed some of the various events occurring throughout Warfang and some of the people involved.

"So the fabric-weaving guilds in the crafting district are actually coming together to prepare a large banner for the upcoming tournament," Spyro said.

"Really? That's interesting," Cynder replied.

"Yeah, Aedric said that, uh—nevermind," he finished as he noticed his mate's expression upon mentioning Aedric. "Just forget I said anything." Spyro picked at his food.

"No, it's fine," she told him quietly. "Please, continue. I want to hear more."

"Are you sure? I thought you didn't like me talking about Aedric."

She stared at her own plate. "I don't, but this last week, I've been thinking about what I said that night…" she started. Cynder matched her gaze with his. "It's okay if you like spending time with him. I should be supporting you, not getting upset with you. It was selfish of me to think that you should be spending all your time with me."

He shook his head. "You had every right to be upset and it's definitely not selfish to want to spend time with your mate. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for neglecting you for so long."

She placed a paw on his cheek. "You've already apologized and more. The whole week you've been nothing but good to me. And I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"For what? You've done nothing wrong."

Cynder bit her lip and looked away. "I have a confession to make. Last week, the day after we had that talk, I followed you around." She looked at him from the corner of her eye and saw his confusion. "I saw you go from Aedric's forge to that jewelry shop with the cheetah and saw you buy that ruby. I was what you saw in the shadows that day. And I followed you back to the forge and watched you work with that ruby. I haven't seen you look so focused in such a long time and I didn't even think that you might have had a hobby you enjoyed. I'm sorry."

At this point, the dragoness's eyes were wet. Tears were threatening to form. She felt so terrible for not giving the one she loved a chance. Suddenly, Cynder felt his strong paw along her jaw. She looked up at him, expecting anger, hurt, or disappointment. But the only thing she saw was the same love he always stared at her with.

"Cynder," he said quietly. "You don't have to be sorry for that. I could never be upset with you and I don't care if you followed me around. You wanted to know what I was doing and I wouldn't tell you—I couldn't tell you. But now I can. Come on. I need to show you something."

Spyro began to lead her out of the Great Hall, causing the dragoness to feel a bit perplexed. "But I already saw what you were doing that day."

He turned back and smiled at her, chuckling. "That wasn't what I've been doing these past couple months. That was me just owing Aedric a favor. It's finally time to show you what I've really been doing."

Cynder stayed silent, processing the new information. She had been wrong. He hadn't been taking up blacksmithing as a hobby for the last several months it seemed. But what else could he have been doing? She was about to find out.

Within minutes, they arrived back at the temple and Spyro ushered her down the halls and back to their room. She just watched him run over to a small bookshelf over on one wall. He retrieved a medium sized box she hadn't noticed from behind it and rushed back to her.

"I got you a gift."

Cynder looked at the box then at him. "How long has that been there and how did I not see it?"

"A few days," he replied. "And you didn't see it because you haven't touched those books in weeks. You've gone through all of those at least twice, so I knew you wouldn't bother looking there."

Once again, he had a grin on his muzzle. It was incredibly infectious and Cynder found herself smiling back. "You really do know me that well."

He nodded and gave her the present. "Open it."

Nervousness coursed throughout the dragoness's body as she slowly slid the top off. Inside was a silver necklace with grey swirls along its surface which came to a stop around a large emerald set in the middle. She gasped. The craftsmanship was phenomenal compared to the jewelry she had normally seen in the marketplace. "How much did this cost?" she asked breathlessly.

"Months of spending time without you," he answered. Cynder didn't comprehend his response. Noticing this, he continued. "The real reason I haven't been spending so much time with you for the last few months was because Aedric was teaching me how to make jewelry. I made this for you, Cyn."

Cynder was absolutely blown away. She couldn't form words. It was almost a minute later before she could say something. "You never told me he knew how to make jewelry."

"I figured that that little detail might have given me away."

She sighed. "I don't deserve this," she whispered.

Spyro stepped forward and gently pressed his forehead against hers. Their eyes locked. "Yes, you do. You deserve anything and everything I have to offer. You were there for me when nobody else was. You stuck by me no matter what happened and I love you for that. I love you for everything you are."

He reached around the back of her neck and undid the clasp of her choker. He set the dull metal onto the ground and picked up the necklace. He grasped the two ends of it not yet connected together and slid the piece around her neck. She felt his hot breath against her cheek as he secured the clasp on the necklace and he stepped back.

Cynder looked down at her new gift and then at her smiling mate. She turned to a nearby mirror and walked up to it. It was amazing how well it suited her. The gem in the middle matched her emerald eyes and the silver and grey of the necklace contrasted well with her scales. She studied the necklace in her reflection more, tracing its intricate patterns. She hardly noticed Spyro beside her until he wrapped a wing around her.

"Happy anniversary," he said again.

She turned to him as her eyes glistened once more, this time for a much different reason. She gave him the most lovingly smile she could muster, but it quickly faded away as she realized one thing. "I didn't get you a gift," she said in disappointment. Since she had been so preoccupied with what Spyro had been doing for the past week, she had neglected to get him a present.

"You don't have to get me anything because all I need and want is you."

His words repeated themselves in her mind and caused her heart to flutter. How lucky she was to have such a wonderful drake like him. Another thought occurred to Cynder. There was most certainly a gift she could give to him after all. One they could both thoroughly enjoy.

She leaned in and nuzzled him affectionately. "You've been so good to me and I haven't done anything for you at all."

"Cynder—" he began, but she cut him off with a forceful shove that caused him to fall onto his back.

She stepped over him, her legs on either of his sides and wrapped her tail around his. She wore a large, mischievous smirk. "You deserve a _very_ special reward for all this."

Now understanding her intent, he flashed his own naughty grin. "Is that so?"

"Oh, yes."

Without another word, the two mates began to celebrate their first anniversary in the very best way.

* * *

 **And this marks the first year (for Spyro and Cynder) since the beginning of this story. This is also now the longest chapter I have ever written, the last one being chapter 2. Unlike chapter 2, I am very satisfied with how each part of this chapter turned out (though I may change my mind some time in the future) even if some parts, mainly the third where Cynder was stalking Spyro, lacked some interaction. I went pretty heavy with the description there, so I hope I didn't bore any of you for that piece. I do think it was necessary as Cynder needed to come up with her own (wrong) conclusions about Spyro's time spent.**

 **For those of you who paid attention to my last author note, you might also figure out that I lied. Finals week has not even started and I wrote yet another chapter. As soon as I started writing, I went on a roll and wrote out each section one at a time. With this out of the way however, I can easily focus on the upcoming exams I have. Part of me does feel like I might end up writing some more though, but that would mean having another idea for a new chapter. I do have a very, very small idea that would likely result in a very short chapter, but I might just hold out on that one for a bit. If any of you have good ideas, feel free to leave them in a review.**

 **Thank you again for reading this story and thanks to those of you who leave reviews.**


	6. Chapter 6 - A Night at the Ball

**A Night at the Ball**

"So why do we have to do this again?"

"Because you're the purple dragon; you're supposed to represent unity between the different races."

"Then what about you?"

"Well, someone has to keep an eye on you."

"Are you implying that I can't take care of myself?"

"No, I'm _saying_ that you can't take care of yourself."

"I thought mates were supposed to trust each other, Cyn."

"Oh, they are. You're just special, Spyro."

"Somehow I'm getting the feeling that we're not thinking of the same meaning for 'special.'"

Cynder's laughter bounced off the walls of the corridor they were walking through. Spyro pouted. She noticed his expression and bumped her hips against his, causing him to briefly lose his balance and stumble. He shot her an annoyed stare. "Relax," she said. "I'm only teasing."

He rolled his eyes and began to walk faster, leaving Cynder behind. "Whatever."

"Spyro, wait!" she called after him. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

He paused at the end of the hall, allowing Cynder to catch up to him. He looked away from her as she grew close. The black dragoness gave him an apologetic look, but he ignored it. As soon as her head hung in shame, Spyro revealed the smirk he had been repressing. "Gotcha."

She whacked the side of his head with the flat of her tail blade, eliciting a sharp cry of pain from the drake. "I was actually worried I hurt your feelings, you jerk!"

Spyro rubbed the spot where she had hit him. "That hurt you know!"

"You deserved it."

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Cynder's anger faulted for a moment. "There might."

The male stepped in front of the dragoness, lining up their muzzles. "And what would that be?" he asked softly.

Her emerald eyes stared into his amethyst ones. "I'm sure you could figure it out."

Spyro tilted his muzzle and Cynder did the same. They both leaned in and pressed their lips together. The two held the position for several moments before pulling away. The purple dragon wore a goofy grin on his face as the dragoness sported an amused smirk. Cynder bumped her shoulder against his.

"Come on, lover boy," she said, getting his attention. "We can't keep Volteer waiting too long."

She led him down the remainder of the hall and soon they arrived in a large, spacious room. A small group of moles lined one wall. Each of them carried some sort of instrument ranging from the violin to the flute and spoke quietly amongst themselves. In the center of the room stood Volteer. Much to Spyro and Cynder's surprise, the Electric Guardian was silent. However, when the two heroes arrived, the older dragon reverted to his usual talkative self.

"Wonderful! Our two young dragons have arrived!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry we're late, Volteer," Cynder apologized. She exchanged a sidelong glance with Spyro. "We got a little distracted on our way here."

Spyro managed to suppress his grin from earlier and added, "I hope we didn't keep all of you waiting too long."

"Nonsense!" Volteer replied animatedly. "The moles here occupied their time by chatting amongst themselves. I managed to keep myself entertained by reviewing some of the information I picked up from texts I have read over the years. For instance, did you know that moles use vastly different blacksmithing methods from dragons in order to create their tools and weapons? Part of this comes from their physiology. Unlike dragons they—"

"Actually, Volteer," Spyro interrupted. "I did know that. I've been able to observe mole blacksmithing techniques somewhat closely recently."

The larger dragon's eyes widened in excitement. "Really? Can you describe to me about some of the things you have seen? There has only been so much I have been able to read about and I never seem to have the time to go down to the crafting districts to observe. I find it all rather fascinating. You see, my—"

"Maybe you two should save this conversation for later," Cynder cut him off. She quickly eyed the band of moles off to the side, noticing their strained expressions. "I don't think we should keep these moles here any longer than we need them to. And what is it that they need to be here for anyways?"

The Electric Guardian bobbed his head. "I believe you have a point there, young Cynder. It would not be polite to take up much more of their time. And to answer your question, they are here to provide music."

The purple dragon quirked a brow. "I thought you were just going to show us how to dance for the upcoming ball. Why would we need music now?"

"You see, dancing is a delicate art that relies much on the rhythm of the music. Without music, our dances would look disjoint and fragmented. As such, I have requested for these talented moles to provide us with music. With their help, I can show you two the proper way to dance at such a formal event," he explained. "Spyro, how about you go first?"

Spyro eyed his female companion warily, who had a small smirk on her face. "Uh…"

"No need to be afraid, young dragon. I assure you that I am fully capable of showing you the elegance of formal dance." Volteer gestured at the younger drake with a paw. "Come."

The purple dragon walked over to the Electric Guardian hesitant and stood less than a foot away from him. He looked up at the face of Volteer who smiled down upon him. Even with his recent growth spurts, Spyro still felt rather small when compared to the Guardians; he was roughly two-thirds of the older dragon's size.

"Now," Volteer continued, "the first thing you must learn is proper form. Formal dancing requires us dragons to stand on our hind paws like so." He took a moment to get into position. "As you can see, I am putting most of my weight onto my hind paws, similar to the way moles normally walk. I am also using my tail for support and balance. Your tail is key, young dragon. Without it, you would not be able to maneuver particularly well. Now you try."

Spyro nodded and pushed off his two front paws and placed the majority of his weight onto his back ones. Keeping Volteer's instructions in mind, he used his tail to help him keep balance. The purple drake folded in his wings and kept them close to his body. He wobbled for a second before steadying himself. "Like this? I feel a little silly."

Volteer shook his head. "Not at all! We dragons have been dancing like this for centuries! Now the next step is orienting yourself with your partner. In this case, I will be your partner." There was a slight blush on Spyro's cheeks. Cynder giggled quietly in the background. The yellow dragon gestured over to her.

"Cynder, you might want to pay attention to this next part. Spyro, place one paw on my shoulder and the other in my paw. I will place my paw on your hip, here. Typically, your position would be more suited for dragonesses. Due to our difference in size, however, it would be too awkward for you to assume the typical role of the drake. Rest assured that you can practice that role with Cynder when we're finished."

"Right…" Spyro said hesitantly, slightly embarrassed. He did as instructed and the two drakes were in the starting position for formal dancing. "What's next?"

"I will walk you through the basic steps of formal dance. Usually, the drake is the one who leads the pair, but it is not uncommon for the dragoness to take charge." A fond smile spread across Volteer's lips as he began to reminisce. "I remember my first dance. It was with a lively, young fire dragoness a few years older than I. She just grabbed me from the side and took me onto the dance floor. She led me through all the different steps. It was a fun though terrifying experience. Why I—"

"So, Volteer," Spyro interrupted. "What are the basic steps?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes! Pay close attention, young dragon, and do your best to commit these steps to memory. You too, Cynder. If I know you two as well as I think I do, I suspect that you will be the one to lead your dances," the Electric Guardian said with a wink. He turned to the group of moles on the side and nodded. A melody began to play. He faced Spyro. "Now, follow my lead."

The next several minutes were almost painful for Spyro. When he wasn't struggling to mirror Volteer's movements, he was stumbling over his own paws and tail. On occasion, he even stepped on the electric dragon's paws. He grimaced whenever he did and muttered an apology, but the Guardian had paid him no heed as if it had never happened. As the music began to wind down, Spyro felt a swell of relief rise up within him. The older drake parted from the younger one when their dance ended and both reverted to standing on all four paws.

Spyro exchanged a worried glance with Cynder who only smirked back at him. He turned to face Volteer. "So, how did I do?" the drake asked.

The Electric Guardian briefly looked at one of his hind paws and wiggled his claw digits. A look of discomfort spread across his face for a moment. "You did…fine for your first time, young dragon. There is much for you to improve upon, however. But with enough time and practice, I believe you will do well at the ball."

The purple dragon nodded once and said, "Right." He retreated towards Cynder's side and sat down on his haunches embarrassingly. Sensing his negativity, his mate nudged him with her muzzle and rubbed her cheek against his comfortingly.

"We still have a few weeks before the ball. That's plenty of time for you to learn the steps," she said. "We can practice as much as you'd like before then."

Spyro gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Cyn."

Cynder returned the gesture and walked up to Volteer. "I guess it's my turn then. I hope I don't do too poorly."

"I do not believe you will, young dragoness. You were, after all, able to observe the steps I am about to show you. You should have an easier time than Spyro." Volteer signaled for the moles to start playing again. "Let's begin."

Unlike Spyro's attempt, Cynder's went much more smoothly. The purple dragon watched in awe as the dragoness followed the Electric Guardian's movements almost perfectly. Seeing what a real dance looked like amazed Spyro. He felt a pang of jealously and envy as he quietly spectated. Why couldn't he move like that?

The music ended shortly after and the sound of Volteer's voice broke Spyro from his thoughts. "Wonderful! Absolutely fantastic, Cynder! In all my years of instructing young dragons and dragonesses in the art of formal dance, never have I witnessed such mastery in such a short amount of time!" he exclaimed.

Cynder grinned at the praise. "Thanks, Volteer. I had a lot of fun."

The electric dragon nodded in agreement. "Now then, we—"

"Master Volteer!" a voice called out from the doorway. Spyro turned around to see a mole with a pair of glasses perched upon his nose. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Master Cyril has requested that you see him!"

There was an uncharacteristic frown on Volteer's muzzle. "Tell him I'm busy!"

"He said it was urgent," the mole replied.

Volteer rolled his eyes and huffed in annoyance. He shared an apologetic look with Spyro and Cynder. "I am afraid our first lesson together must come to a premature end, young dragons. I will have to go and see what our icy friend needs of me. You two are free to continuing practicing with one another. I believe Cynder can direct the two of you in the proper direction. Perhaps we can try this again tomorrow without any interruptions." With a final nod, the Electric Guardian stepped out of the room with the messenger following close behind.

Once Volteer left, Spyro turned to Cynder. "So what now?"

"I guess we just practice dancing together. I'll lead." She rose up onto her hind legs and assumed the position for formal dance. Spyro sighed quietly and followed her directions.

The next hour consisted of Spyro stumbling through each of the basic steps and Cynder offering advice. Unfortunately, the purple drake just couldn't get the hang of it. In the end, it was Cynder who suggested they stop for the night. They discovered that formal dancing was tiring, no matter how good you were at it. After sending the group of moles home, Spyro and Cynder retreated to their own room.

Spyro barreled through the doorway and plopped onto a cushion, exhaustion taking him. He spread each of his limbs across the cushion in an almost comical fashion, eliciting a giggle from his mate. He turned a lazy eye towards Cynder. "What's so funny?"

Cynder smiled and pulled up a cushion beside him. "You," she responded. "You look so silly when you're like that."

"I can't help it. Dancing makes me tired."

"I'm not sure if I'd call what you were doing earlier 'dancing.'"

The purple dragon frowned and curled up, no longer facing her.

"Hey," she said. Cynder wrapped her tail around his. "You know I'm just joking, right?"

"Yeah," Spyro grumbled. "I know you're just teasing, but you're still right. I can't dance. I'm just going to embarrass myself at the ball."

"You still have plenty of time to learn. Just relax. And who cares if you don't know how to dance? Everyone will still remember you as the brave and handsome hero who saved the world. They'll still look up to you whether you can dance or not and I'll still love you just the same."

The black dragoness licked his cheek gently. He said nothing for several moments, causing Cynder to wonder if her words had any effect on him. She opened her mouth to say more, but Spyro finally spoke. "'Brave and handsome,' huh?"

"Out of everything I said, you picked out 'brave and handsome?'" she questioned in an irritated tone.

Spyro shrugged innocently. "You could stand to mention it a little more…" he said.

"Just like how you could stand to mention how smart and beautiful I am some more?" Cynder said.

"But if I said it all the time, it wouldn't be nearly as special then, would it?"

"Maybe not, but I'd still like to hear it."

"Well, for the record, you _are_ smart and beautiful."

Cynder smiled and pressed herself against him. "Good," she said. Spyro simply grunted in response, signaling that he was too tired for any more banter. The dragoness closed her eyes and felt his warm and steady breath against her neck. After a minute, she opened her eyes and craned her neck to face him. "Are you still awake?"

"Just barely," he mumbled. "Could fall asleep at any moment right now. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if you could, ah, 'help me' fall asleep," she said slyly. "But if you're really that tired, I suppose I could manage to drift off on my own."

Spyro nipped at her neck softly and chuckled. "I'm not that tired…"

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Spyro heard Cynder ask behind him.

"Pretty sure," He replied without looking back.

The two dragons were currently in the crafting district of Warfang. All around them were various craftsman ranging from blacksmiths to leatherworkers. Hardly any of them paid the pair any mind as they were primarily focused on their work. This was one of the reasons why Spyro enjoyed coming down to the crafting district. He felt as if he was just a normal dragon here. The sound of metal pounding against metal was comforting for the drake, though he suspected his mate had differing opinions.

"You're pretty sure?" she repeated loudly, talking over the hustle and bustle surrounding them. "We promised the Guardians that we would be there within the hour. We only have a few minutes left before we're late."

"I think we're almost there! Just a few more—aha!" Spyro rounded an upcoming corner and stopped in front of a medium sized building. A sign hung off the side depicting the head of a dragon. There was a row of barely legible runes along the bottom of the sign. "We're here!"

Cynder squinted her eyes, trying to make out faded text. "Gelsey's Workshop," she read. She turned to her mate. "Well what do you know? You actually did get us here on time."

"You really ought to have more faith in me, Cyn," he said.

"I would if you weren't the reason we're late to half the things we go to. Now let's get inside before we really are late."

The couple stepped inside the building and into a small greeting room. The first thing they saw were several empty armor stands propped against a wall. Small scraps of metal were scattered across the ground, though none of it got in the way of the two dragons. They made their way into a larger room to find a female mole standing in front of several sets of fine armor. Spyro, from his time with Aedric, was able to clearly see the superior quality of their craftsmanship.

Cynder, who was by the purple drake's side, echoed his thoughts. "Wow. Those armor pieces look amazing."

"Oh!" the mole shouted. Gelsey quickly spun around and placed a tiny paw across her rapidly beating heart. "I didn't hear you two come in!"

Spyro smile sheepishly. "Sorry, we should have said something."

Gelsey smoothed out the black apron she wore. "Nonsense!" she said. She looked at a nearby clock. "You two came in right on time! I should have been expecting you, but I suppose I got a little too caught up in my work."

The black dragoness shook her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. I can see how you can get lost while you work. Your armor looks fantastic."

The armor smith blushed and rubbed her neck bashfully. "Thank you for the compliment, Miss Cynder. If only the same could be said about my workshop. I'm terrible at keeping things clean!"

"This is messy?" Cynder said, gesturing around her. "You should have seen Spyro's old room before we moved in together. He's the reason why our current room gets messy too."

"I'm not that messy!" Spyro protested.

"And Sparx isn't a motor mouth," she countered. She turned back to Gelsey. "So how are we supposed to do this armor fitting? I've never done one before."

"Neither have I," the purple drake added.

Gelsey directed their attention to the various armor sets in the room. "Normally, you two would have to choose an armor design before anything else, but we took care of that last week. Just to double check, you two wanted something similar to the armor pieces you picked up on your travels?"

Spyro and Cynder nodded, prompting the mole to move to the next step.

"Good. What I need to do now is take different measurements of your legs, chests, tails, and wings. If one of you will be so kind to follow me…" She made her way to one side of the room and through some curtains that the two dragons had not noticed earlier.

The pair eyed each other for a moment before Spyro shrugged. "I can go first, I guess."

Sharing one last moment of hesitation, the purple dragon disappeared into the curtains. This room was much smaller, but had significantly less clutter than the other. Several mirrors were lined up against one wall surround a single, slightly raised platform. Gelsey stood next to it patiently with a strip of ribbon in her paws.

"Come on," she said, beckoning him over. "Don't be shy."

Spyro walked over to Gelsey stepped onto the platform. He glanced at his reflection and then to the armor smith. "So what now?"

She offered him a small smile. "You just get comfortable while I take your measurements. It won't take long." He nodded and stared at the mirrors awkwardly as the mole wrapped the ribbon around his various limbs. "Are you excited for the Warfang Ball?" she asked.

The purple drake blinked once, not expecting any small talk. "Yeah, it should be interesting. I've never been to an event like this before. I've only recently begun to learn how to dance."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine," Gelsey said dismissively. "I bet you're a fantastic dancer!"

Spyro cringed inwardly. "I don't know about that. I've been practicing for the last couple weeks and I'm still bumbling around. I feel like I haven't made any progress at all. I'm just going to embarrass myself at the ball."

The mole tapped her chin and hummed. "Well, what about Cynder?"

Spyro mentally slapped himself and groaned. This whole time he had been so worried about himself, he had neglected to think about how his poor dancing would make the black dragoness look. "I'm just going to embarrass her too. I hadn't even thought of that!"

Gelsey stopped taking his measurements and placed her paws on her hips. "You remind me of my husband, you know."

"I do?" Spyro asked, confused.

She nodded. "Back when we were young, I absolutely loved to dance. I dragged my darling Burdan to all the balls and parties we could go to just so I could dance. I love my husband dearly, but that mole has two left paws, I tell you! Out of all the times we went out dancing, he never got any better. But you know what? He still kept doing it for me. He didn't care about how silly he looked. He just wanted me to have a good time. And I did. So learn a little something from him and just focus on showing your dragoness a good time."

The purple dragon stared at her for a moment, letting her story sink in. He thought about all the time he and Cynder had spent together and about how many of those times he had done something stupid. He cringed again. There were actually quite a few. Still, Cynder had never once let any of it get to her. Being a poor dancer wasn't going to bother her, so why should it bother him?

"It's rude to stare, you know," she said, breaking Spyro away from his thoughts.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Your story got me thinking, and I think it really helped. Cynder actually said something similar the first night we started dancing and I forgot about it this whole time. You helped me remember. Thank you."

Gelsey smiled warmly at him and patted his side. "Glad to be of service. We're finished here, so why don't you go and get Cynder for me, hm?"

Spyro nodded and exited the room. He felt a little lighter as he did so, not realizing the weight that had been on his shoulders. As his mate came into view, a smile crept onto his muzzle.

"So how'd it go?" she asked.

"It went well. She said for you to go in."

* * *

The purple dragon surveyed the room from his seat at the very front along a rectangular table. Decorations consisting of banners and ribbons lined the walls. Circular tables were spread out across the floor, surrounding an empty space. Off to the side was a group of moles playing their instruments. At each of the tables were various citizens of Warfang dressed in formal attire. The dragons in attendance wore plates of precious metals much like himself and Cynder. The moles wore suits and dresses of delicate fabrics. The cheetahs wore leather tunics and were draped in cloaks. Everyone looked well dressed for the occasion and conversed amongst themselves.

"Nervous?"

Spyro glanced to his left where Cynder sat. "Not really," he replied. "I think I've really improved this last week."

"You really have. You haven't stepped on my paws at all since we went to that armor fitting with Gelsey," she joked. "And speaking of armor, your helmet is a little off."

"Is it?" he asked. Spyro shook his head briefly and felt that it was a little loose. "Think you can help me out?"

Cynder smirked at him before bringing two paws up to the armor piece. After adjusting it, she pulled back. "There."

He shook his head again, testing that the helmet was in place. Content with how it felt, he asked her, "Does it look okay?"

She nodded. "You look very handsome. Heroic too."

"You look very beautiful yourself," he said, grinning at her. He gestured to her own set of armor. "The silver goes really well with your necklace."

Some movement to his right caught his attention. It was Terrador rising from his seat to address those at ball. He, as well as the other Guardians, looked very regal in their decorative armor. Each of them wore armor dyed with colors matching their elements. Spyro and Cynder's had been made with silver.

"May I have your attention," Terrador called out. Everyone stopped their conversations and the music ended. He gave them all a short nod, satisfied that they were all listening. "We—the Guardians, those who organized this ball, as well as Spyro and Cynder—thank you all for attending this event. This 32nd Ball of Warfang celebrates the unity we share between all our races. Tonight, we commemorate our ties together as allies. I look forward to an era of peace with you all. Thank you."

The Earth Guardian, as well as everyone else at the table, all bowed their heads in respect. The guests in front of them mirrored their actions. After a moment, everyone raised their heads and Cyril stood up.

"And to officially commence the ball, we ask our two saviors to perform the first dance," he said.

Spyro and Cynder rose from their seats and walked to the empty space in the center of the room with the black dragoness in the lead. Once in the middle, they assumed the stances they had been practicing for weeks. The purple drake quickly glanced at the crowd surrounding them. At one table, he spotted two moles, one of which was waving right at him. It was Gelsey. He smiled at her before turning back to his mate.

"Ready?" Cynder whispered to him.

"Ready," he whispered back.

Cynder nodded briefly to the musicians and music slowly filled the air. She held his paws tightly and took the first step. He followed her closely and the two began to dance. Spyro focused solely on his dragoness and his own two paws beneath him. He ignored the watching eyes of the audience and simply looked at Cynder's. A large grin spread across his lips as he managed to keep up. Soon, other couples joined in around them and the dance floor was full.

After several minutes, the music came to an end, signaling that the first round of dancing was finished. A different set of music began playing afterwards and many couples left the dance floor, allowing others to have their turn. Among those leaving was a now out of breath Spyro and Cynder. They retreated to their spots at the front of the room and dug into the fresh meat set before them. As the purple drake filled his maw with food, Cynder nudged him.

"You were great," she said.

"Thanks. I had someone amazing to lead me."

She blushed at the compliment. "Oh, stop."

"No, really. If it wasn't for you, I would have looked like a fool out there."

Cynder shook her head. "Like you said earlier, you really improved this last week. You have to take some credit for yourself."

"I guess, but Gelsey also deserves some of it as well. She was actually the one who helped me out. She helped me remember that I should be focused on making this enjoyable for you, not on how I looked to everyone else."

She beamed at him. "It looks like I'm going to have to give her my thanks."

A sly smirk made its way onto Spyro's muzzle. "And there's something I would like to give to you…"

"And what would that be?" Cynder asked coyly, bringing her muzzle close to his.

"Just let me lead this time and I'll show you."

* * *

 **This one took me a lot longer than I would have liked, but it's here! You'd think with a summer break, I'd be cranking these out, but it ended up being the opposite. I've been spending most of my days playing games instead of working on this, but I managed to trudge through it.**

 **I have two more chapters I plan on writing before I start the ending for this story. This does not necessarily mean that I will stop writing for this story in the future, but at this point, I'm getting the feeling that I won't be working on it too much when school starts up again. When it does, I don't know what I'll be doing with my writing. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue this or focus on a different story.**

 **The next two chapters I plan on writing will be about Spyro's parents visiting (thank you Guest for the idea) and Spyro (and Sparx's) hatchday. As for your idea, V-SxC, you will just have to wait and see.**

 **Thank you all for reading and supporting the story!**


	7. Chapter 7 - A Day with the Parents

**A Day with the Parents**

Cynder eyed herself in the mirror and craned her neck to study at her reflection from different angles. She stared at her image for several moments, unsatisfied. The only thing she found appealing was the silver and emerald necklace resting upon her scales. Sighing, she turned around to face a pink dragoness and asked, "How do I look?"

"You look fine," Ember assured her companion, but the black dragoness did not seem pleased with her answer.

"Are you sure?" Cynder tilted her head to get another look. "Something looks a bit off, but I don't know what."

Ember rolled her eyes. "Nothing is wrong with the way you look," she insisted. "If anything, I wish I looked half as good as you do."

Cynder blushed at the compliment. "Thanks. I'm just a little nervous."

"I can tell," Ember replied dryly. "Are you really feeling that nervous about seeing Spyro's parents? I thought you met them already."

"I did, but I only met them twice. The first time was right after we defeated Malefor and were returning to Warfang. The swamp was on the way. The second time was right before the festival started. Spyro wanted them to know that we were in a relationship."

The pink dragoness quirked a brow. "How did it turn out?"

"It…was okay," Cynder said at length, wearing a hesitant expression. "They were really excited when we told them. They said that they were glad to finally have a daughter. His mom even gave me a little hug."

Ember gasped softly and placed one paw over her heart. "That's so sweet!" The pink dragoness then cocked her head in confusion, remembering her friend's words from earlier. "But if they really feel that way, why are you so nervous about this then?"

Cynder looked away and began to trace some claw marks etched in the stone floor of her and Spyro's room. A frown covered her muzzle. "I don't know. I was never really comfortable around them. I've never had a family before. How am I supposed to act around them? They're really nice, but I always felt so awkward around them."

"Have you talked to Spyro about any of this?" Cynder shook her head. "Well why not? If you can tell me, you can definitely tell him!"

Cynder wore a half grimace on her muzzle. "It's not that simple. They're his parents. If I tell him, he might get the wrong idea. What if he thinks that I don't like them or something? I don't want to ruin our relationship because of this."

"And if you don't tell him, you _will_ ruin your relationship. He loves you. Just be honest with him about this. I'm sure things will turn out well."

"I hope so." Cynder sighed. She looked outside through a nearby window. It was nearing midday. "They'll be here any minute now. I'm supposed to meet them by the Great Halls. Do you want to come with me?"

Ember stood up and smiled. "Sure."

The two dragonesses left the room and casually made their way to the Great halls. The pink dragoness decided to start a new conversation about some of the new wares she had spied in the marketplace recently. Cynder remained quiet for the most part, only sparing a few words at a time. The former Terror of the Skies was too preoccupied with her upcoming meeting to be invested in the discussion to the point where she failed to notice that Ember had stopped talking.

The fire dragoness nudged her companion, drawing her attention. "Just relax and be yourself. It'll be fine," she said, sensing Cynder's troubled feelings.

Cynder gave Ember a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ember. You're a great friend."

"I know," she replied smugly, a large grin spreading across her lips.

By the time they had arrived at the Great Halls, a new conversation about the latest gossip had sprung up between the two. It was a guilty pleasure for Cynder. She couldn't help but eat up the most recent rumors about a certain Ice Guardian being rather friendly to an unknown electric dragoness. Cynder listened so intently to Ember's recounting that she had ignored an unmistakable golden pair of wings descending towards them.

"And he always goes on about how 'superior' ice dragons are and how pure his bloodline is. Then he acts like some hatchling around this dragoness!" Ember said.

"Really?" Cynder asked. She leaned in towards her friend, absorbed into the story. "What happened next?"

"So what are you two talking about?" a familiar voice asked from behind Cynder.

The black dragoness nearly jumped upon hearing Spyro speak. She whirled around in a panic, her heart thumping. "Nothing!" she said in surprise. She eyed him warily. "…How much did you hear?"

Spyro smiled innocently at her and Ember. "I didn't really hear anything actually."

Cynder let out a quiet sigh of relief. So long as he didn't discover how she secretly enjoyed listening to gossip. "It was nothing important. It—"

"I didn't hear anything apart from how Cyril's got a little crush on an electric dragoness." The purple dragon smirked at his mate. "I didn't know you liked hearing about this kind of stuff, Cyn."

Her face flushed red. "I-I don't! I-it's just that it's very important to be well informed about what goes on in Warfang!" Cynder stammered and Spyro laughed. She glanced around. "So where are your parents?"

"Sparx wanted to show them something real quick before we met up," he answered.

"And why did you have us meet here?" Ember asked. "We could have met up at some place much nicer like the gardens or the park."

Spyro grinned sheepishly. "I, uh, wanted a quick snack before we did anything. They'll be here in a bit though!"

"Males," Cynder said, rolling her eyes. She poked his stomach with a claw, causing him protest. "You're always thinking with your stomach!"

He rubbed the spot she had poked him. "Not when I'm thinking about you," he said in an attempt to defend himself.

"I'm sure we all know what organ you think with when you're thinking about her," Ember countered.

Cynder tossed her head back and laughed while Spyro balked at them with reddened cheeks. "T-that's not…"

The black dragoness walked up the steps of the Great Hall and bumped her hips against his as she passed by. "Let's get something to eat while we keep teasing you." Ember followed her, leaving a defeated Spyro behind. As Cynder approached the top, she turned back towards him. "If you aren't actually hungry, we could just leave you there and get something for just ourselves instead," she called out to him.

Sighing, the purple drake padded after them. "I'm coming!" he called back.

Cynder and Ember wore amused smirks as they waited for the male. Once together, they all walked into the Great Halls. The black dragoness inhaled deeply, taking in the mouthwatering smell of fresh meat. There was currently a line of several dragons waiting to be served. "What are you going to get?" she asked Ember.

"I think I'm going to get some lamb," she replied. "What about you?"

"Lamb sounds good," Cynder said as they got in line. She faced her mate. "I'd ask you what you're going to get, but you'll probably getting the goat again." Ember nodded in agreement.

Spyro quirked a brow. "Am I really that predictable?"

"Yes," the two dragonesses answered in unison.

"It's not my fault the goat is delicious!" Spyro said, trying to defend himself.

Ember shrugged. "At least your mate is easy to please," she said to Cynder. "My Flame is always so picky about his meals! Just the other day I got him a slab of deer and he complained that he _just_ had some for breakfast!"

Cynder scoffed. "Why are males always so whiny?"

"Hey!" the purple drake cried out in response. The two females simply ignored him.

"Ugh! I know!" Ember said exasperated. "I ended up just eating it right in front of him and he didn't get anything to eat for the rest of the night."

"I bet he complained all night too," Cynder said.

Ember shook her head. "He's not _that_ stupid. He knows when he should shut up."

"Like any good male should," the black dragoness said, nodding in agreement.

Spyro just sighed, accepting that he wasn't going to get a word in. He nudged Cynder and pointed ahead. "The line's moving up. We're next."

Within the next few minutes, each of them received their dish and they found an unoccupied table to sit at. Cynder and Ember chatted idly while tearing strips of meat from their plates as Spyro chewed in silence, only adding to the conversation occasionally. The purple dragon continually glanced at the doorway throughout the meal.

Noticing this, Cynder asked, "So when is Sparx getting here with your parents? It shouldn't take too long to show them whatever he wanted to show them. Besides, he knows we're waiting here for them."

Spyro shrugged. "Sparx will get them here on time. He's not as irresponsible as you think."

As if on cue, a loud and annoying—in Cynder's opinion—voice drowned out the rest of the conversation. "And here's the Great Halls. Big ol' purple butt and the she-demon should be around here somewhe—ow! Ma, what was that for?"

The trio turned around to see a set of yellow, pink and blue glows by the entrance. "Don't you dare call that sweet dragoness a demon! We raised you better than that!" a feminine voice said.

"And you shouldn't be making fun of your brother like that either," a masculine one said.

Spyro rose from his seat, prompting Cynder and Ember to do so as well. He raised a golden wing in the air and shouted, "Mom! Dad! Sparx! Over here!"

Cynder stiffened as the three dragonflies immediately made their way over. "There you two are!" the pink dragonfly said as she got closer. She let out a sharp gasp upon seeing Ember. "Is this your friend? I'm sorry I didn't see you earlier. I'm Spyro and Sparx's mother, Nina."

"My name is Flash; I'm their father," the blue dragonfly said.

Ember bobbed her head. "My name is Ember."

"Will you be accompanying us on our tour of the city?" Nina asked her.

Spyro and Cynder looked at Ember, the same question in their minds. They hadn't asked her at all. The fire dragoness flashed them a brief smile before shaking her head. "No, I won't. I'm sorry, but I have plans to see my mate. I should get going now. It was nice meeting you two."

"Likewise," said Flash.

"I'll see you guys later," Ember said as she walked away.

"Bye, Ember!" Cynder called out. Spyro waved a paw goodbye at the pink dragoness.

Flash and Nina turned to the pair of dragons. "So," Nina said, "where were you going to show us first?"

"Hmm," Spyro said, giving it some thought. "I guess we can start with…"

* * *

"We're approaching the library right now," Spyro said to his mother.

"How many books are in there?" his father asked.

"My guess is that there are…over a thousand in there. There are dozens of shelves just stuffed with these huge books about all different kinds of subjects."

"Oh my!" Nina cried out. "And those things are twice our size!"

"Blech! Who cares about some dusty ol' tomes? I say we go grab something to eat!" Sparx said.

Nina glared at her son and placed her hands on her waist. "You just ate ten minutes ago. You keep eating anymore and soon _you'll_ be twice the size of those books!"

The yellow dragonfly dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "I'm still growing! I need to eat regularly!"

"I'm sure you'll survive without food for a couple more hours, Sparx," Spyro said. "Besides, I want to show mom and dad the inside of the library. It looks amazing!"

"If it's anything like the rest of the city, we'll just be swept away by it!" replied Nina. "So what else can you tell us about the city in the meantime, dear?"

"Well…" Spyro began.

Cynder tuned out the rest of what her mate was saying and simply focused on following him and his family to the library. She stood quietly in the back and stared at her paws as they walked together. Her steps were uneven and her posture was rigid. She still felt as awkward as she had when they had first met up over an hour ago. She had hoped that she would get used to being in their presence, but nothing had changed.

The black dragoness let out a small sigh and glanced at the purple dragon's foster parents. They flew in the air right beside their son with smiles on their faces as the drake told them about the city. She made little effort to contribute to whatever they were talking about, letting Spyro do most of the talking. He was, after all, Flash and Nina's son. He was far more comfortable talking to them and therefore more suited to showing them around.

 _I should have gone with Ember. I'm not even doing anything here._ Cynder thought to herself. A pang of guilt stabbed at her. She shook her head at the thought. _But it wouldn't be fair to Spyro, his parents, or Flame and Ember if I did. I should be trying to make them feel welcome, but I still feel like such a stranger around them. Maybe talking to them will help instead of just praying that I'll finally be comfortable around them. I'll—_

Her train of thought broke as she bumped into her mate. She blinked. Everyone was looking at her curiously. Feeling her cheeks burn, Cynder asked them, "W-why'd you all stop?"

Nina looked at her worried. "Spyro mentioned that you liked to go to the library and I was wondering what sort of books you enjoyed reading." The pink dragonfly hovered closer to her. She reached out. "Is something the matter? You haven't been speaking much and you've been staring at the ground for a while now."

Cynder took a step back in surprise. How long had Nina been watching her? "N-no!" she said unconvincingly. "Everything's fine!"

"Are you sure you aren't feeling sick or something, Cyn? If you need to, we can go to the infirmary—"

"No, Spyro. I'm okay," the black dragoness said again. She turned to Flash and Nina. "Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin your visit. Don't worry about me."

Nina huffed and folded her arms. Without looking back, she told Spyro, "Honey, why don't you go ahead to the library with your brother and father? I think Cynder and I should have a little talk."

"Actually, maybe you should go ahead with him. Sparx can show you and dad to the library. I can take care of—"

"Now," Nina said sternly.

Spyro shrunk at the tone of his mother's voice. "Yes, ma'am," he said quietly. He gave one last worried look to Cynder before leading the two other dragonflies to the library.

A feeling of unease surrounded Cynder as she watched them depart. She glanced at Nina who now had her arms folded. "There's nothing to worry about," Cynder tried saying again, diverting her gaze as she did so.

"Listen here, young lady," Nina said authoritatively. "I don't care if you saved the world, you will look me in the eye when I'm talking to you." Cynder uncharacteristically flinched at the dragonfly's words and hesitantly obeyed. Upon doing so, Nina demeanor softened. "Now tell me what's wrong."

"I…" Cynder began, trying to think of a believable excuse. One popped into her head. "I was talking with Ember earlier and I was telling her how sweet Spyro has been to me lately and how I wanted to repay him somehow. I was just thinking about some of the ways I could…"

The pink dragonfly glowered at Cynder. "I want the truth," she said bluntly.

Cynder's jaw dropped and she stared at her in disbelief. "How—"

"A mother knows these things," Nina said with a hint of satisfaction.

Cynder's cheeks flushed from being caught so easily in her lie. After another moment, she sighed and opted to tell the dragonfly the truth. "I don't feel like fit in," she said.

Visibly surprised with the dragoness's answer, Nina asked, "What do you mean?"

"I don't feel like I fit into your family. I feel like I'm an intruder, like I don't belong. I know you said I was part of your family when Spyro and I told you that we were mates, but I just…" Cynder shook her head sadly as her eyes began to glisten. "I've never had a family before and you guys were so welcoming that I just didn't know how to react, so I—"

The black dragoness stopped talking as Nina wrapped her arms around Cynder's muzzle. "It's okay. I understand. You don't need to say anymore."

Cynder stood there in shock as Nina silently comforted her. When the dragonfly let go, Cynder looked at her guiltily. "I'm sorry for how I've been acting."

"You don't have to apologize for anything," Nina said. "I should have noticed that you felt so uncomfortable sooner."

"If anything, I should have just told you from the beginning. I should have—"

"Ah!" Nina said, hushing Cynder. "I will not have my daughter blaming herself for something that was not her fault."

The black dragoness stared at her with wide eyes. "Your daughter..?" she repeated.

Nina smiled warmly and nodded. Tears began to escape from Cynder's eyes. "And I expect you to call me 'mom' from now on," she added.

For the first time since the tour began, Cynder smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Of course, mom."

"Now let's get back to our boys."

By the time the two ladies made their way to the library, the only evidence from their prior conversation was Cynder's new positive attitude. They quickly found Spyro along with Sparx and Flash beyond the entrance and the black dragoness rushed up to her mate and shared a brief nuzzle with him.

Ignoring the sound of Sparx feigning a retching sound, a grinning Spyro asked her, "What was that for?"

"I'll tell you later," she said, glancing at Nina who was now admiring the interior of the library.

"There are so many books!" she exclaimed in a low voice. "I can barely see the walls!"

"Yeah, it's really—" Spyro began.

"And speaking of walls," Nina interrupted. "I've been meaning to ask. What were those claw marks in the stone by your bed in your room with Cynder?"

Both dragons looked away with reddened cheeks as they thought back to their many impassioned nights. After a moment, Cynder came up with an excuse. "You see, Spyro has these bad dreams every now and then, so he ends up marking the floors or the walls in his sleep."

Spyro nodded vigorously in agreement, but Nina shot them both a look. "I know you two are lying."

* * *

 **And here is the next chapter! Much much faster than I was expecting and shorter too. I decided to cut out some unnecessary stuff (though there's probably still some other unnecessary stuff), so it ended up being shorter. Another reason why this ended up being a faster update than those in the past is because I'm actually really eager to start a different story for Bittersweet Candy Bowl which I discovered recently. If anyone is interested in that, a summary will go up on my profile page under the In Progress section (even though it technically hasn't been started yet).**

 **It also turns out that the cast is rather rude in this chapter. Lots of interruptions. I hope you all enjoyed this one, especially Guest who suggested the idea for this chapter. Like with the others, I'm not sure when the next one will be up, but it will be about Spyro's hatchday. After that, I intend to start writing the ending for this story. Until next time, then!**


	8. Chapter 8 - A Day in Warfang

**A Day in Warfang**

Spyro soared through the skies of Warfang alongside Cynder. Cool wind brushed against his scales as he flapped his wings to keep himself aloft. He glanced down at the city below him, lazily spectating the daily lives of its citizens. He spotted several vendors trying to sell goods to passersby, groups of young dragons fooling around, and a cheetah napping underneath the shade of an adjacent building. His gaze lingered on the cheetah for a moment before his maw stretched open to release a yawn.

"Someone didn't get enough sleep," he heard Cynder say.

"It wasn't my fault," he said.

" _I_ wasn't the one who suggested that we have some fun," she countered.

"I only wanted one or two rounds! I thought it would help us sleep. You were the one who wanted to keep going!"

"Since when did you complain about playing extra rounds of poker?"

"Since those extra rounds kept me up longer than they should have!"

"Stop being a crybaby and suck it up," Cynder said, rolling her eyes. "If you drop out of the sky now, we'll be late for our lunch date with Flame and Ember."

"You mean you won't catch me if I fall?"

"Oh, you're too heavy for me to carry you. Weren't you listening to the physician? You need to lay off the goat."

Spyro huffed. "Whatever, let's just stop talking and focus on getting to the restaurant."

"Someone's hungry," she teased. "Didn't we just say that you needing to watch your weight?"

"I thought we agreed to stop talking!"

" _I_ didn't agree to anything," she responded slyly.

The banter between the two mates continued for the rest of their flight. Within minutes, they arrived at their destination. Just outside the entrance to the establishment were two fire dragons—one pink and one red. The pink one waved to the two heroes with a wing as they descended.

"Hey, Ember, Flame," Cynder greeted as her paws touched the ground.

"Hey guys," Spyro said. "Were you two waiting long?"

"Not at all," Ember said, shaking her head. "We only got here two or three minutes ago."

"If by 'two or three' you mean six or seven, sure," Flame said. He turned to his mate. "I told you that we didn't need to rush! We would have been just fine."

Ember pouted. "It never hurts to be early."

"Well sorry for making you two wait," the black dragoness apologized. "We would have been here a little earlier, but our appointment with the physician lasted longer than it should have."

"No, it's fine!" the pink dragoness said. "You two need to make sure everything is okay. If it means waiting a little longer, then we don't mind."

"I don't know. My wings are feeling a little sore from how hard I had to flap them because you wanted us to hurry," Flame commented.

Ember glared at him. "You need the exercise anyways. You tire out way too easily."

"That's not what you said last night…" he grumbled in response.

The pink dragoness gasped and swatted at him with her paw, causing the red drake to cry out in pain. She faced Spyro and Cynder with reddened cheeks. "We should get inside," she murmured.

Spyro exchanged a sidelong glance with Cynder and they both stifled a chuckle. Ember opened the doors of the restaurant strode in, leaving Flame behind. The fire dragon sighed before trailing after her. When the couple disappeared, Spyro and Cynder laughed and walked inside. The four friends were quickly seated at a nearby table and were each given a menu.

The purple drake skimmed through the selection, barely registering the variety of options and looked for one dish in particular. He licked his lips in anticipation as he found the one he was searching for. As he put down the menu, Cynder reached out and placed it back into his paws.

"You're not ordering the goat," she said without looking up from her own menu.

"Why not?" Spyro complained.

Cynder mate looked at him flatly.

"But it's so good!" His mate's expression did not falter and he relented. He began to scan through the menu again. "Fine, I'll order something else…"

When the waiter stopped by a few minutes later, each of the four dragons placed their orders—lamb for Spyro, beef for Flame, and chicken for the two dragonesses. Four bowls of water were given to them and the purple dragon resigned to lapping up the water unhappily. Ember and Cynder shared a quiet conversation while Flame stared at his claws in boredom.

"The party's going to be an hour after sundown, right?" Cynder asked.

"Mhm," Ember answered.

"But I thought—oof!" Flame began before his mate jabbed him in the side.

"So are you two wearing anything special to the party later?" the pink dragon asked Cynder, acting as if she had never done anything.

Cynder shook her head, not in the least confused or bothered by what she had just witnessed. "No, we were planning on just going as is."

"How come? The both of you looked so great in that armor you wore to the celebration a few months ago! You should totally wear that again."

"But that was a formal event. This one is going to be more casual."

"Aww. You guys are no fun," Ember said, pouting. "I had this great set I wanted to show off! I look so cute in it! Right, Flame?"

"Uh huh," the fire dragon said, barely registering her words. The pink dragoness frowned and poked a claw at his soft scales, causing him to yelp. Several other patrons turned to stare at Flame whose face flushed from embarrassment. "What was that for?" he hissed.

"You know what."

The red drake eyed Ember uncomprehendingly. He turned to Spyro and whispered, "You can't leave me alone with her. I'll go insane if I have to deal with her all by myself!"

Spyro flashed him a lazy grin. "Sorry, Flame. You'll be on your own."

"But—ow!" Flame cried out. He began to rub the back of his neck where it suddenly began stinging.

"Going 'insane' will be the least of your worries if you keep that act up," Ember said. A plate of food was set down before each of them. She turned back to Cynder. "We'll have a few hours before the party starts after we finish eating. Did you two have any plans?"

Cynder looked at Spyro who simply shrugged at her. "Not at all. Did you have something in mind?"

"I figured we could go visit the park or the gardens," she replied after tearing off a piece of meat. "I hear Cirrus and his friends hang out around the park nowadays to practice their elements."

"Yeah," Spyro said after swallowing a bite. "I usually see them there when they're not in classes."

"Speaking of classes," Flame said, his words slightly garbled by the food in his mouth. "How has the whole teaching thing been going?"

"It's been great," the purple dragon replied. "All of the young ones are always so eager to learn how to control their elements."

"I think that they're more excited to have the 'legendary purple dragon' to be teaching them," Cynder commented.

"Heh, that's probably closer to the truth," he admitted. "Half the time, they're asking me to tell them stories about our adventures instead of practicing their elements. I'm sure Cynder's combat classes go a lot more smoothly."

"They do," she confirmed. The black dragoness smiled. "Sometimes they can get unruly, but it just takes a firm paw to set them straight."

"Somehow I'm getting the feeling that you're a little more than just 'firm' to them," Spyro said.

Cynder scoffed. "Five or six laps running around the building never hurt anyone."

The three other dragons in her company balked at her. "I would understand flying, but _running_? Even three laps sounds terrible!" cried Ember.

"I think you might want to cut your students some slack, Cyn," Spyro added. "They're going to die of exhaustion."

"Sounds even worse than Terrador's training regimen. Glad I'm not your student," Flame said.

Cynder simply shrugged. "If that's what it takes to teach them not to mess around in my class, then that's what I'll do. It's an effective way to discipline them. All you have to do is say the word 'laps' and they all fall into line."

Ember chuckled nervously. "Maybe we should change the subject. Even talking about training is tiring me out."

Spyro and Flame swiftly agreed with Ember's proposal, leaving Cynder slightly disappointed. For the remainder of their lunch date, the four friends discussed a variety of topics ranging from literature to the latest news within the city. The newest development in Warfang was the end of the selection process for the next Fire Guardian.

It had been a long and arduous affair, requiring not only the attention of the Guardians, but of Spyro's and Cynder's as well. It had taken the better part of three years and there had been over thirty suitable candidates. Ultimately, an orange and yellow dragoness by the name of Ashelain had proven herself to be the most competent.

"The ceremony is in six months, isn't it?" Ember asked.

"It is," Spyro answered. "The timing isn't the greatest, but we'll be fine."

Ember looked from Spyro to Cynder worriedly. "It won't cut into your plans?"

Cynder shook her head. "Not at all; it's not that inconvenient."

Spyro raised a paw and made eye contact with the waiter, signaling for their check. "Besides," he added, "it's important that we be there to support the induction of the newest Fire Guardian. It's our responsibility. We can set aside our plans for something like this."

Flame and Spyro each dug up some gems from a side pouch and placed them next to the check when it arrived. "Six months is still a ways away. That's plenty of time for you two do what you want," the fire drake said.

"Exactly," Spyro responded. He turned to the two dragonesses. "So to the park, then?"

* * *

Spyro sat in the large bath, the water up to his chest, and scrubbed hard at his scales with a wet cloth. He growled in frustration as the dirt and mud clinging to his body wouldn't wash off. He tossed the rag across the room after another failed attempt to properly clean himself. He flopped onto his back and groaned.

"Need some help?" Cynder asked, her voice echoing in the chamber.

Spyro rolled back onto his paws and glared at her. "That'd be nice, considering that this is all your fault," he said annoyed.

She smirked at him. "What do you mean by that?" she replied innocently. She picked up another cloth and stepped into the bath with her mate. She dipped it into the water and poured the contents of a nearby bottle onto it. Spyro detected the scent of lavender emanating from the towel. She brought it up to her mate's chest and began to scrub.

"You encouraged Cirrus and his friends to blast me into that puddle," he accused.

"Oh, come on," Cynder said, her smile not going away. "It was just some harmless fun."

"I might have considered it harmless fun if I wasn't wearing half of the park! The party is in twenty minutes!"

"Relax, we'll get you cleaned up before then. No one will know how a bunch of kids managed to take down the legendary purple dragon. Your pride is safe." Spyro grunted in response. Cynder rolled her eyes. "Lighten up, already! They already apologized."

"You didn't."

Cynder looked away guiltily and paused. After a moment, she sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have encouraged them." The purple drake did not stop pouting. "Look," she said, this time more gently. "I really am sorry about this. I—" She blinked once, realizing what he was doing. She eyed him flatly. "I'm not going to fall for that again. I _know_ you're pretending to be angry so you can surprise me with a kiss. You do that every time!"

Cynder's face fell as Spyro took the wet cloth from her paws, stood up, and walked to a different part of the bath before cleaning his scales himself. The black dragoness stared at him for several seconds and waded over to him. She placed a paw on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. She sighed before turning around dejectedly.

Then without warning, Spyro leapt up from his spot and tackled his mate into the water, causing it to splash everywhere. By the time his mate realized what was going on, his tongue was dancing with hers. Her eyes widened and she pushed him away angrily.

"You jerk! I knew you were faking!" She looked down at her own scales and frowned. "And I'm just as filthy as you are now!"

He handed her the cloth in his paws, smirking. "I think you'll need this."

She snatched it from him and threw it right at his face. It landed against his sensitive facial scales with a loud smack, slid off, and fell into the water. "Ow," he muttered.

"Now we both need to hurry if we're going to make it to the party on time."

Spyro retrieved the rag from the bath and examined his chest. It was noticeably cleaner than before and was passable. He smiled satisfied before flexing his wings and felt some discomfort running along his back scales. He glanced at his mate who held a different rag in her paws and was quickly rubbing it around her legs and chest.

"Hey," he said, getting her attention. She turned to glare at him. He turned around and pointed at his back. "I wash your back, you wash mine?"

"Fine, whatever."

The next several minutes were spent in silence, basking in the warmth of the water and in the feeling of having their scales cleaned by their mate. They stepped out of the bath and dried themselves off. They each checked themselves in a mirror before heading out to the party located at the same place where they shared their first formal dance.

When they arrived, both Spyro and Cynder were surprised to see the ballroom already filled with guests. The purple drake leaned towards his mate and whispered, "Are you sure you got the right time?"

"I'm sure," she answered.

"So then why—oh, Terrador!" Spyro called out as he spotted the Earth Guardian.

The forest green dragon turned when he heard the purple dragon's voice and smiled. "Ah, Spyro, Cynder. Welcome to the party! And before you two ask, you are not late. We purposely arranged for the two of you to come later."

Spyro breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this answer, but Cynder was not quite so satisfied. "But why?"

"We wanted everyone to be here before the guests of honor arrived, of course."

"Fair enough," Spyro said, shrugging.

"I guess I can't be too surprised. I'm actually shocked that Flame didn't spill anything," the black dragoness said.

"You know, he almost did tell us back at the restaurant," Spyro said, recalling the day's earlier events. "Ember stopped him before he could say anything, though."

"It would have been unfortunate if he had said something. In any case, please do come with me," Terrador said.

As three, they made their way to the front of the room. Spyro and Cynder saw many of their friends and greeted them as they passed by. At the head of the room was a raised platform in place of the table that had been there at their first ball. The two young dragons stepped onto the platform and were able to look at all of the guests present. They spotted the other two Guardians and the Guardian-to-be among the crowd.

"Everyone, may I have your attention?" Terrador boomed, commanding everyone's attention. The room fell into a quiet hush. "Today we celebrate the two dragons who have done so much for us over the years. Without them, none of what we have today would be possible. We thank them for their service and may their endeavors be ever fruitful." He raised a bowl of champagne. "To Spyro and Cynder."

The guests raised their own bowls. "To Spyro and Cynder!" everyone else cheered.

When the crowd settled, Terrador turned to the couple. "You two are free to enjoy the rest of the party as you wish," he said. "I would suggest, however, that you exercise moderation. Tomorrow is an important day, after all." The Earth Guardian nodded once at them before leaving to rejoin the party.

"He has a point," Cynder said. She exchanged a glance with her mate. "So what do you want to do first?" she asked.

"Hmm," Spyro said as he tapped his chin. Music began to fill the air and he smiled. "A dance doesn't sound too crazy. How about it?"

* * *

"I can't believe you two are really doing this," Sparx said. "I can't believe that you're actually going to leave."

"You could come with us, you know," Spyro said. "It'd be like old times."

The dragonfly shook his head and folded his arms. "Nah, I'm good. I don't think I've got another adventure in me. The old times were nice, especially without her," he pointed to Cynder. Spyro and Cynder frowned at him. "Besides, this is more of your thing. You go spend time with your dragoness."

"Well you have until we reach the swamp to change your mind. We'll be heading there first before we set off," Spyro said.

"Nope!" Sparx said sharply. "My mind is made up! You two can explore the rest of the world by yourselves."

"We'll miss you, Sparx," the purple drake said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said dismissively, prompting Cynder to roll her eyes at him. "I'll miss you guys too."

"Aww, Sparx, that's so sweet of you," the black dragoness cooed.

Sparx looked away from the pair and said, "Yeah, whatever. So when are we leaving this dump of a city and where are the old geezers?"

"We're waiting for Flame and Ember to get here," Spyro answered, ignoring his brother's comments. "They said they wanted to see us off."

"The Guardians are busy with their duties this morning. We've already said goodbye to them," Cynder added. "And they aren't all old. Ashelain is pretty young. She's—"

The sound of wingbeats caused Cynder to pause mid-sentence. She and Spyro turned around to see Flame and Ember flying frantically towards them.

"Sorry, we're late!" the pink dragoness cried. She pointed to her mate. "This lazy lizard wouldn't get up."

Flame opened his mouth wide to yawn and grinned. "Sorry 'bout that," he said. "That party last night was really something, you know?" The fire drake walked up to his purple friend and wrapped a leg around him, pulling him into a hug. "The next time you come back, we're gonna have a guy's night out, alright?"

Spyro chuckled. "Alright."

Flame smirked before turning to Cynder and nodding. Ember walked up to the black dragoness and gave Cynder a hug of her own. "I'll miss having someone to talk to." She pulled away and gave a brief hug to Spyro.

"I'll miss our talks too," Cynder said.

"Is that it?" Sparx said loudly. "'Cause we need to get going!"

"Gee, Sparx," Cynder deadpanned. "How considerate of you."

"Yeah, no problem. I'm just looking out for you two. Wouldn't want you to leave later than you planned, right? Now, let's go!" The dragonfly zipped high into the air.

Spyro shook his head at his brother's antics before leaping into the sky with Cynder. They exchanged one more set of goodbyes with Flame and Ember before finally turning their backs to the city that had been their home for the last several years. The purple drake let out a deep breath as nostalgia began to fill him. Then with a flap of his wings, he let those emotions dissolve. In their place were feelings of excitement and anticipation as he flew south with his mate and brother. He was going to see the world he and Cynder saved.

* * *

 **As you probably noticed, this is not Spyro's hatchday. It's actually the ending chapter! Surprise! Truth is, I got really stuck writing that one. I also got stuck a few times writing this one for the same reason. Both chapters actually start in the morning and I struggled with describing all the events that went on throughout the day. I sort of circumvented that problem in this one by adding some more skips, which don't really work with what I had planned for Spyro's hatchday.**

 **The other thing I have to mention about Spyro's hatchday is that I have no clue when I will get to work on that. I actually do want to get started on my next story and I don't think I can concentrate on two fics at the same time, which is why I ended this a chapter earlier. I will get around to writing about Spyro's hatchday eventually (as well as another chapter relating to it), but that might not be for a while.**

 **Until then, this will be the last update for this story and I will mark this as complete. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed!**


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